Sustainability and the Organic Consumer

By Laurie Demeritt


As organic products have spread into the mainstream, a larger cultural framework for defining earth-friendly products and initiatives has also been building under the all-encompassing term “sustainability.” Frequently today, in association with the term “sustainability,” we may see any number of socially conscious terms grace the cover of trade or consumer publications with topics related to “ethical consumption,” “environmentalism,” “green design/products/ lifestyles,” “alternative energy/fuels,” “corporate responsibility,” “locally produced,” “organic and natural,” or “fair trade.” In association with sustainability, these terms are now so widely used that they have become commonplace in many, if not all, forms of media.

Interestingly, if we look carefully at the media’s coverage of the “greening” of a broad array of industries and processes, we see that the voice of the consumer in the midst of all this “sustainability speak” is frequently missing, or at the very least tends to report on the greenest of consumers as if they represent all of the population. In the early days of the organic market’s expansion into conventional channels, this was also a commonplace theme. Marketing strategies would cater to the most actively engaged buyers of organics as if they represented all consumers, when in actuality, as researched by The Hartman Group over the past 10 years, the most involved buyers of organics, those in the “core” of the organic world, represent only 21 percent of the roughly three-quarters of Americans who at least occasionally buy organics. Mid-level organic consumers, those consumers experimenting with incorporating organic products into their lifestyles, represent a much larger portion of organic buyers (66 percent) and have had a much more significant impact on the growth of the organic market (Figure 1).

As we can see from the diverse socially conscious terminology that falls under the guise of sustainability, the world of organics and the world of sustainability are not exclusive of each other at all. In fact, organics and sustainability have always fit comfortably under the term “sustainable agriculture.” Yet, while such terms are comfortably understood by those consumers with the greenest ideals (such as those who occupy the core of the “World of Organics”), where does the term “sustainability” rest with everyday consumers? This last year The Hartman Group has been focusing on consumer perceptions of sustainability to better understand how they view this issue in the midst of all the media and how products like organic fit within this larger context.

Sustainability Consciousness
Based on comprehensive ethnographic and analytical research, what we find is that despite all the media headlines, the term “sustainability” is seldom used in households and is not widely understood conceptually by many consumers. Nevertheless, it is a very meaningful umbrella term to use when describing the current cultural movement toward health, wellness, organics, environmental consciousness, ethical consumption, fair trade, simple living, buying local, etc. From the consumer perspective, the underlying assumption behind all of these trends is that if society continues on its current path, systems will break down, resources will become scarce and public health will be at risk. “The Hartman Report on Sustainability: Understanding the Consumer Perspective” finds that consumer attitudes and behavior are shifting to reflect these key distinctions, and that from the everyday person’s viewpoint, sustainability is much more about improving outcomes for personal health, the community and the global natural environment, as well as improving outcomes both now and in the indefinite future. While the results of the research show that the term “sustainability” is not widely used and not widely understood by consumers, our data clearly reveals that a cultural shift is taking place in terms of consumer awareness, acceptance and practices that relate to sustainability and thus to organics as well.

Although most consumers have a limited understanding and usage of the broad concept of sustainability, consumer engagement with green concepts can be described in terms of varying degrees of “sustainability consciousness.” This refers to the way people link everyday life to what they perceive to be “big” problems such as food, water and air quality. Just as organic products are not purchased exclusively by green idealists, sustainability consciousness is not just about eco-conscious consumers and the environment; it is broadly distributed across society, to include everyday people. While from a media and business standpoint we frequently see sustainability defined as green enhancements to industrial processes, products or services, such as Wal-Mart installing solar energy panels—for consumers, sustainability consciousness has much more personal meanings that relate to perceptions of risk factors present in everyday life. These perceptions of risk relate specifically to behavior in the organic market, where often we see that among consumers with an interest in organics an intensified commitment to a healthier lifestyle eventually leads to a change in food consumption behavior and the purchase of organics. Attitudinally, “health and nutritional concerns” is the number one reason consumers cite for why they purchase organics, thus the reduction of risk (to one’s health and one’s family’s health) becomes both a driver of purchase in organics and a key distinction of sustainability consciousness.

The World of Sustainability from the Consumer Perspective
Importantly, when examined from a cultural standpoint, we have found that fully 93 percent of the American population has some degree of sustainability consciousness and fit somewhere inside the “World of Sustainability” (Figure 2). Like the World of Organics mentioned earlier, the World of Sustainability is a concept used by The Hartman Group to illustrate consumer behavior organized around any collection (or world) of activities and lifestyles, (in this case sustainability, which has a broad context, or in the case of organics, a narrower context).

Consumers within the world of sustainability have different behavioral and emotional mindsets when it comes to how intensely they are involved with sustainable beliefs and activities, including orientations toward organics and environmentally friendly products, with those at the core being most involved. Compared to the small number of consumers (7 percent of the population) “outside” the World of Sustainability, of those 93 percent of Americans who are “inside” the World of Sustainability, we can say the following:
• They are over twice as likely to think it’s important to buy environmentally friendly products (77 percent agree).
• They are nearly four times as likely to pay a 10 percent premium for sustainability products (75 percent at least somewhat likely).
• They are seven times as likely to think it’s important to buy organically grown food whenever possible (24 percent agree).
• They are over twice as likely to think science and rational intelligence can overcome major problems (27 percent agree).
• They are almost twice as likely to think purchases have an impact on society (75 percent agree).

The Intersection of Sustainability and Organics
It’s true that sustainability is in the news a great deal today. Oddly enough, from the consumer perspective, we typically only catch glimpses of what motivates individuals to pick and choose from the many products and services that make up the “sustainable” marketplace. As we have learned about the world of organics, having children, and being concerned about personal or family health, are key drivers of purchase that fall outside the normative characterization that an organic purchase is a “vote for the environment.” Organic buying certainly translates to ethical consumption for some consumers, but for many others, it is the lessening of risk in the context of health and wellness that is likely the key to the purchase, not an effort to live “environmentally.” As gleaned from our most recent research, these observations relate fully to how consumers start out in their trajectory of green living where buying organics, water filters and air purifiers are just a first step toward embracing a fully sustainable lifestyle (Figure 3).

From a sustainability world perspective, for the typical periphery and early mid-level consumer, sustainability has two primary functions. First, it is a means to avoid risks, primarily to personal/family health and wellness. Second, it is a way to address environmental concerns by adjusting one’s behavior as a consumer, rather than by changing day-to-day habits. Moving towards the deeper mid-level and core consumer, however, concern for the health and wellness of others (and ultimately the long-term health and wellness of Earth) becomes significantly more important and influential. In the course of this transformation, sustainable “buying” habits turn into sustainable “living” habits.

Within the world of sustainability mid-level consumers might lack a deep knowledge of organic farming but buy organics because they make them “feel safer.” Core consumers purchasing organics do so not only with a deep knowledge of sustainable agriculture but also because they are willing to pay premium prices for items produced by companies who treat their workers fairly and because they believe their purchase decisions are a form of direct democracy.

The Opportunity
For marketers of both organic and “sustainable” products, the great news is that a growing percentage of the population has some form of sustainability consciousness, and an increasing number of consumers are becoming more deeply involved with organic products. The opportunity for marketers lies in determining where consumers are in their journey through organics and sustainability in order to successfully craft products and services that are relevant to their current lifestyle. For marketers of organic products, this means understanding when to promote the benefits of organic production and how such production relates to personal, regional and planetary health.

Laurie Demeritt is president and COO of The Hartman Group, a leading consulting and market research firm. The Hartman Group specializes in the analysis and interpretation of consumer lifestyles and how these lifestyles affect the purchase and use of health and wellness products and services. Their client base includes a number of Fortune 500 consumer packaged goods companies, pharmaceutical firms, and mass and natural food retailers. She can be reached at laurie@hartman-group.com.