The greenconsumption effect and the benefits of getting it right

Finally, if you get your sustainability communications strategy right, there are real benefits in terms of building brand loyalty.

We explored this in more detail in our May report , but one element worth highlighting is the so-called Greenconsumption effectwhen people enjoy a product more when they know it is sustainable.

This thesis was tested and proven in an academic study, the results of which were published in the September 2019 issue of the Journal of Consumer Research .

The study found that:

“Using a green product influences the enjoyment of the accompanying consumption experience even if consumers have not deliberately chosen or purchased the product.

“Five experiments in actual consumption settings revealed that using a green (vs. conventional) product enhances the enjoyment of the accompanying consumption experience, referred to as the greenconsumption effect.“

One of the experiments involved giving participants a set of headphones and asking them to listen to 45 second excerpts from three songs.

One group was just given the headphones. The other group was given headphones and told that they were made from recycled materials.

The second group, who believed they were using ‘sustainable’ headphones, enjoyed the music more - despite listening to exactly the same songs and from the same headphones as the first group.

Headphones are of course a very relevant example for aviation, as they are a core part of an airline’s IFE system.

But really, the example works across the board. For example, easyJet automatically offset flights in 2019. In its Q4 2019 results, it disclosed that passengers who were aware of the offsetting were 11% more likely to recommend the airline.

Consumers are increasingly aware of the climate crisis and global warming. They want to do the right thing. If you do, and if you present what you are doing in an accessible way (based on facts), there are real benefits for your brand.

Avoiding the Greenwashing Trap