Children Act as ‘Green’ Police

People want to be more environmentally sensitive when they go to the store, especially if their children are along to nag them, marketing surveys show.

In a telephone survey of 1,006 adults last October, 70% told the Hartman Environmental Report that their environmental concern had increased in the past two years. And 67% said their environmental activities had increased.

The number of people who said they would switch brands to get a recyclable container went from 54% in 1988 to 80% in 1990. But only 50% said they actually bought more environmental products.

In another telephone survey, this one of 1,000 adults conducted last December, Environmental Research Associates of Princeton, N.J., found that a third of all parents made a purchasing decision based on something their children had said about the environment.

The Hartman report, by the Hartman Group of Newport Beach, Calif., said the typical “green” buyer is a well-educated woman with children.

The report said 520 green products were introduced in 1990, accounting for 9% of all new products, compared with 262 products, or 4.5%, in 1989.