Tuesday, May 8, 2007

Packaging, Transparency and Sustainability Consciousness

by Laurie Demeritt

When we hear the term “sustainability”, any number of subjects spring to mind: global warming, carbon offsets, green building, packaging reduction, equipment recycling, alternative energy and corporate transparency. Many of these innovations and initiatives relate to the ongoing broad-scale “greening” of industrial and consumer packaged goods producers and retailers. Trade and consumer publications have devoted entire issues to the greening of suppliers and retailers, yet it is apparent the voice of the consumer in the midst of all this sustainability discussion is frequently missing or, at the very least, tends to be comprised of the greenest of consumers (as if they represent all of the public).

In order to better comprehend how the term “sustainability” fits with complex consumer lifestyles, over the past year The Hartman Group has focused on consumer perceptions of sustainability in an effort to better understand where the public is in the midst of all the media headlines, and what it thinks about issues like packaging waste, recycling and corporate transparency.

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