A US survey conducted for The Sustainability Dashboard, a web-based system that helps organisations measure and monitor their use of fuel, water, energy, etc., has found that 43 percent of facility managers and cleaning professionals would pay more for products made by a company that practices sustainability.*
However, 28 percent of respondents indicated they would not pay more and 30 percent were ‘not sure’.
The survey, in which some 150 people participated, was conducted online in January 2012.
When asked, ‘how much more are you willing to spend for a product produced by a sustainable company?’, 90 percent answered five to 10 percent.
The survey also asked if the respondents would need proof a company is practicing sustainability: 78 percent responded yes; about 10 percent would take the company’s ‘word for it’; and the rest were unsure.
“Transparency and credibility when it comes to sustainable issues are paramount today,” says Elizabeth Steward, marketing manager for Sustainability Dashboard Tools. “No one wants another greenwashing experience.”
Nevertheless, the respondents were divided on how this ‘proof’ would be determined. About 25 percent would accept the company’s published reports. “But, 57 percent wanted [the reports from] independent, third-party organisations and not just the company’s word for it,” adds Steward.
Finally, the respondents were asked if operating a business or property in a more sustainable manner costs more, less, or about the same as operating in a conventional manner.
Some 41 percent were sure sustainability produced cost savings; 27 percent noted it costs more; and the rest were unsure or believed it was ‘cost neutral’.
“What we are finding is that cost savings is becoming a prime motivator for organisations operating in a sustainable manner,” Steward notes. “Instead of being on opposing sides, sustainable and cost savings are now on the same team.”
*For purposes of this survey, sustainable companies are defined as those that operate in a socially, environmentally, and economically responsible manner.