The leading question
What do prospective buyers of green products want now, and how should companies deliver it?Findings
- The demand for green products and services hasn’t been greatly cut by the recession, but green choices are now more focused on ways to save money.
- Price is not the main obstacle when buyers consider going green. The biggest impediment is consumers’ lack of awareness of green product alternatives.
- Many companies are afraid to educate buyers about green options for fear of being called “greenwashers.”
The thread was triggered by a 2008 research report coauthored by Catherine Roche, a partner and managing director in the Düsseldorf office of The Boston Consulting Group Inc. Here in this version from the print edition of the Review, we extract highlights from the online thread, including key data from the consumer survey, thoughts from expert commentators and excerpts from a conversation with Roche about what has — and has not — changed since her report was initially made public. Among her main points: (1) price is not the obstacle when consumers consider green purchases, (2)... To read the complete article, login or sign-up using the form below.
Register or login to read this article.
Register for free and read this article now.
Already have online access? Login below.
Do you subscribe the MIT Sloan Management Review in print? Enter the email address and password you used when ordering. Don't remember? Lookup your subscription account information
- Register for free access to recent articles and the current issue of MIT Sloan Management Review.
- Subscribe and read articles from the past three years online.
- Premium subscription give you access to the entire archive of articles.

