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If predictions ring true for Brazil, Russia, India and China, a group referred to as the BRIC group, these countries may surpass the United States and Western Europe in terms of world productivity and power. These nations will exert a growing influence over the development of greener consumer goods. In a study conducted by WPP , results showed a marked difference in consumers' environmental beliefs and behaviors between the emerging BRIC countries and the West.

 

Generally, consumers in the US, UK, Germany and France tend to align in their attitudes, while consumers in Brazil, India, and China have divergent views, and are particularly inclined to seek green products and to favor companies they consider green.

 

 

According to the study, consumers from all seven countries believe that green products cost more than comparable non-green products, and also indicate they plan to spend more money on green products in the coming year. China, India and Brazil showed significant support for additional spend: 73 percent of Chinese consumers say they will spend more, 78 percent of Indians say they'll spend more, and 73 percent of Brazilians plan to increase their green spend. The percentage of respondents who indicate willingness to spend 30 percent or more on green ranges from 8 percent (UK) to 38 percent (Brazil).

 

"From a political perspective, this turns the assumptions about those countries on their heads," said Scott Siff, executive vice president of PSB, "And from a business perspective it says the market for green branding and green products may be even bigger than generally thought." 

 

The study finds similar global agreement when consumers are asked about how important it is that companies be "green." At least 77 percent of consumers in all countries say it's somewhat or very important; in India and China the numbers are significantly higher: 87 and 98 percent, respectively, say that corporate reputation is an important purchase consideration. Consumers from all seven countries also agreed that the most important step a company can take to demonstrate its "green-ness" is to reduce the amount of toxic or other dangerous substances in its products and business processes.

 

 

India and Brazil, however, are the only two of the seven countries in which consumers express more concern for the environment than for the economy. In the US, 77 percent of consumers communicated deeper concern for the economy than the environment, which is unchanged from 2008.

 

 

When asked what factors most influence their purchase decisions, alliances were very different. Consumers in the US and China found recommendations from friends most effective, French, German and Indian consumers agreed past experiences with the product were the most important, while editorial was most persuasive with consumers in the UK and Brazil.

 

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