In The New Rules of Green Marketing, Ottman mentions different ways of segmenting customers, since traditional segments are not necessarily applicable when thinking about how to market a “green” product/service. One method is to segment customers based on their green interests. Ottman categorized them as:
- Resource Conservers,
- Health Fanatics,
- Animal Lovers, and
- Outdoor Enthusiasts.
Living in Vancouver, and hearing these interests be part of conversation every day, it’s not surprising to see overlap. So what is a customer to do when a product/service strictly appeals to just one segment?
In my own experience, previously working for a company that prides itself on its natural, cruelty-free skin care products, I found myself in this dilemma – do I purchase products that are supposedly healthier, or those with a lower apparent environmental impact? Even further, what about when buying for family and friends? Below is a specific case I face (pun intended), and have yet to figure out the “right” choice.
Lush vs. Rocky Mountain Soap Company
Lush is known for their active fight against animal testing and naked packaging. However, looking at their ingredients, there are often “safe synthetics” listed. Through my ingredient/skin care training, I had learned that there is much argument against those claims, as many are yet to be proven safe (see the Dirty Dozen and Skin Deep). Perhaps this balances out with the naked packaging, though, cutting down on waste and emissions in manufacturing and recycling/disposal. Along with this, their take-back program encourages the recycling of their containers.
Rocky Mountain Soap, on the other hand, is a local company from Canmore, AB that only uses ingredients that are proven to be safe (rather than simply avoiding those proven to be unsafe). When shopping for myself and my family, I always consider the fact that we have sensitive skin and that using “natural” products tends to prevent irritation. However, I am constantly concerned about the amount of waste created through the products’ life cycles – regardless of how recyclable the packaging is.
This is a dilemma similar to the common argument of hand dryer (less waste) vs. paper towel (more hygenic). Given the state of the skin care industry in Canada at the moment, I have yet to find a company that strikes a balance between the two – human health and the environment. However, I encourage you to think about the green interests you have, and how they may be affecting your consumption habits.
P.S Please share your opinion on which products would be the “right” choice for you in the comments!
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Sources:
Lush. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2017.
Ottman, Jacquelyn A. “Chapter 2: We Are All Green Consumers.” The New Rules of Green Marketing: Strategies, Tools, and Inspiration for Sustainable Branding. Sheffield: Greenleaf, 2011. N. pag. Print.
Rocky Mountain Soap Company. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2017.
TessDavies
January 19, 2017 — 3:48 pm
Rocky Mountain Soap Co. will actually reuse your bottles if you can bring them back to their facility. I don’t think they’ve expanded this program yet but I’m sure they would be interested in it.
Kimberly Wong
January 23, 2017 — 10:10 pm
That’s awesome, I didn’t know that! Hopefully they expand this to their retail stores in the future. I wonder how much difference there is in waste when comparing the manufacturing/transportation of new containers to the transportation/cleaning/preparation of the old ones.
victoriayang
January 31, 2017 — 11:29 am
I definitely have this problem – with more companies creating sustainable initiatives, getting the right information and making choices between green products is getting harder. I’d choose Rocky Mountain because I’m more concerned about health, but there’s no right answer! I also have this problem when shopping for furniture – is it best to buy furniture made with recycled materials, sustainable wood, bamboo, or disassemblable parts? It’s hard to decide when there pros and cons to each option’s environmental impact.
MariaHernandezCole
February 25, 2017 — 10:43 am
Hello there! Thank you for your post. I agree that every consumer nowaday is facing a consumer dilemma in every decision. As you mentioned, different consumers have a different level of sustainability. However, I believe that all consumers. at least once, consider the social or ecological impact of their decisions. That is why we all face dilemmas when making a purchasing decision. If we want an ecological product such as a recycling product with natural ingredients, it might not consider the social impact such as the wage of workers. Keep the good work! -Maria
NezikaMulyadi
April 3, 2017 — 10:59 am
Thank you for your insightful post! I think it’s super interesting to really compare two brands side by side and assess their qualities. I would personally choose Lush since I really like their value proposition and the way they create their products to not only match people’s skin, but also people’s way of life. However, it is true that it is very hard to really choose between the two considering that they are both focused on two really important factors. I guess we are at the time where there is something that has to be forgone to support a cause in our purchase decisions. I hope in the near future health and environment would not be mutually exclusive but go side by side.
thank you!
rachel01tb
April 10, 2017 — 9:47 am
Great post! Throughout this course, I found myself getting a bit discouraged because there was always something else to tackle to “save the world”. From this, I had to learn to pick my battles. Reflecting on my own priorities as a sustainable consumer definitely helps ease the guilt or indecision when making choices. The paper towel vs. hand dryer dilemma comes up in my mind often. I think prioritizing my concerns, then choosing a brand based on other factors unrelated, usually eases this dissonance. It’s hard to identify a right answer!
Lise
October 26, 2022 — 6:09 am
Great debate, but sometimes the choice is an easy one when you have a very specific need. I have issues with scents and other additives because of major sensitivity problems. I want to like Lush but have issues even walking past their stores as the scent alone is just too overpowering. Have tried things people have gifted to me and my skin breaks out in rashes, so it’s a no go for me. Rocky Mountain on the other hand, has many more options for me. When I tried their shampoo and it wasn’t good for my scalp they easily and quickly refunded my purchase, which I truly appreciate.