Saving the Environment without Sacrificing Convenience: Global Consumers Want the Best of Both Worlds

New York, NY - A recent study conducted by Ipsos Marketing, Consumer Goods shows that global consumers care about the state of the natural world but still relish the conveniences of the modern world. Many are taking the environment into account in their daily behaviors and purchasing decisions, but are weighing the impact on convenience as well.

"This data suggests that most consumers want to do their part in protecting the environment, but on their own terms," says Amaury de Condй, Senior Vice President, Ipsos Marketing, Global Consumer Goods. "Consumers are more open to taking part in `green' activities that save them money and are simple and easy. However, they are less likely to be proactive about protecting the environment if it requires giving up major conveniences such as modern appliances or even minor conveniences such as individual-size food packages and plastic bags."

Nearly all of the respondents in the global study were likely to take or continue to take actions in the next 6 months to protect the environment. Leading the way were behaviors such as reusing jars and containers (51%), buying products with recyclable packaging (50%), using dishcloths and sponges instead of paper towels (49%), and reducing usage of paper plates and plastic cups (48%) as well as single-serve plastic bottles (45%).

Yet, global consumers were least likely to curtail their usage of dishwashers, washing machines and dryers or cut back on their usage of individual-size packaging and plastic bags. And global consumers were also lukewarm to the ideas of buying less bulky packaging if it was less convenient to use, looking for alternatives to cleaning products that use toxic chemicals, and using economy-size packaging.

"The implications of these consumer attitudes for consumer packaged goods Marketers are numerous," continues de Conde. "Clearly, offering food, beverage, and household goods containers that are re-usable can provide environmental as well as cost-savings benefits to the consumer. On the other hand, validating the consumer's use of paper goods, such as paper towels, paper plates, and paper and plastic cups, will become increasingly challenging. Packaging is also a tricky area. Consumers want packaging to be recyclable, yet they are wary of using economy sizes and other packaging alternatives that might interfere with the convenience of the product. Marketers must really explore their specific categories to ensure that the steps they are taking to develop innovative, environmentally friendly products and packaging will meet consumers' thresholds for convenience and value."

These are the findings from a study conducted by Ipsos Marketing, Consumer Goods via the Ipsos Global @dvisor, an online survey of citizens around the world. Interviews were carried out between October and November 2008. Approximately 1,000 interviews were carried out in each of 18 countries: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Turkey and the U.S.

Where possible, Ipsos online panels were utilized - in cases where this was not possible the survey was administered through carefully vetted partnership alliance panels.

Complimentary access to the data in this report for each of the 18 countries is available upon request from Ipsos Marketing, Consumer Goods.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Allyson Leavy Director of Marketing Ipsos Marketing, Consumer Goods (516) 507-3515 [email protected]

Or Amaury de Conde Senior Vice President Ipsos Marketing, Global Consumer Goods (646) 313-7662 [email protected]

About Ipsos Marketing

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Ipsos Marketing operates under a global structure that brings clients unequalled research expertise throughout their innovation and brand development process. Supported by specialized teams, Ipsos Marketing offers in-depth understanding of the drivers of consumer choice and of the marketing challenges faced by our clients. Our experts provide integrated qualitative and quantitative research solutions, as well as advanced modelling and forecasting techniques that include simulations and linkages to in-market data.

Ipsos Marketing is a specialization of Ipsos, a global survey-based market research company that offers expertise in advertising, customer and employee loyalty, marketing, media, and public affairs research. Ipsos is present in 64 countries, with a leading position in both mature and emerging markets. In 2008, it achieved global revenues of 979.3 million euros, Marketing research contributing to 48% of Ipsos' total global revenues.

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About Ipsos

Ipsos is a leading global survey-based market research company, owned and managed by research professionals. Ipsos helps interpret, simulate, and anticipate the needs and responses of consumers, customers, and citizens around the world.

Member companies assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media. They measure public opinion around the globe.

Ipsos member companies offer expertise in advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, and public affairs research, as well as forecasting, modeling, and consulting. Ipsos has a full line of custom, syndicated, omnibus, panel, and online research products and services, guided by industry experts and bolstered by advanced analytics and methodologies. The company was founded in 1975 and has been publicly traded since 1999.

In 2008, Ipsos generated global revenues of e979.3 million ($1.34 billion U.S.).

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