Looking for green gifts? You’re not alone.
Good news for all you environmentally friendly gift recipients out there — odds are in your favor that your Secret Santa will have the earth in mind when picking up your present this year.
Green gifts growing in popularity
- A full 66 percent of Americans say they look for information on whether or not a product is made from recycled materials when making a purchase, according to a recent survey from Harris Poll and the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI).
- Money is no object, either — or at least it’s not a huge deterrent. Americans would be willing to spend 13 percent more, on average, on a product if it was fully recyclable, and an average of 10 percent more for a product if they knew it was made of recycled materials.
- Interestingly, those with a household income of less than $50,000 would be willing to pay an average of 16 percent more for a product if they knew it was easy and convenient to collect and take to a recycling center, while only 10 percent of those with household incomes above $75,000 felt the same way.
Take note!
Manufacturers should take note: 86 percent of Americans would like it if products were designed to be easier to disassemble in preparation for recycling. More than 4 in 5 (81 percent) say they would like to see manufacturers and/or retailers display a “Recycling Guide” label on products (similar to the Energy Guide label on appliances) that would detail the parts and percentage of the product that can be recycled and how.
“The data shows that design for recycling not only benefits the environment and saves energy, but can increase a company’s bottom line,” said Robin Wiener, president of ISRI, in a press release. “Consumers look for and are demanding more information about a product’s recyclability. Manufacturers that create products with recycling in mind can gain a significant edge over their competitors.”
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