Many More Gave Gifts of Green

by WiredBerries Editors — January 7, 2008

Perhaps the message is getting out - according to the Environmental News Service (ENS), a wide majority of holiday shoppers expressed a willingness to pay more for eco-friendly gifts and took note of the country where items were made, finds the 2007 Annual National Shopping Behavior Survey by the audit, tax and advisory firm KPMG LLP. "The 'green-quotient' and a product's country of origin have become important reputational concerns for shoppers, due mainly to recent publicity on the environment and manufacturing issues in emerging markets," he said. 88 percent of the survey respondents, Rittenhouse said, were very concerned about the environment, 74 percent indicated they buy environmentally friendly products, 60 percent were willing to pay more for such items, and 55 percent say they make a special effort to patronize retailers with a "green" reputation. In addition, 40 percent of consumers said they checked the country of origin on potential gifts, with 31 percent using such information to decide against a purchase. These results add a whole new meaning to the term "Smart Shopper."