An Investigation in to Consumer Awareness of the Greenwashing of Personal Care Products

Purpose - The research aim was to examine the effect of organisations practicing 'greenwashing' and consumer awareness of the issue. There was a particular focus on personal-care products. Further, to explore the effects of greenwashing on consumer purchasing habits and a sustainable future. Such a study is important in order to discover consumer concern for the environment and to assess consumer motivations in improving the sustainability of the environment. Design/methodology - This study follows a quantitative approach in the form of questionnaires using quota sampling. Statistical techniques such as percentages and tables were adopted to achieve measureable outcomes. The key variables of the sample were University educated students, aged 18-24, living in Scotland or England and consisted of one hundred participants. Findings - Consumers do show consideration for the environment however this is not reflected in purchasing habits, 81pc of consumers were not environmentally conscious when purchasing products however just 13pc thought that no product type was important to be green. The study stressed a need for education of consumers regarding green marketing terminology and claims as the primary and secondary research highlighted confusion and mistrust between consumers. Regarding green personal-care products, the study suggested that consumers show varied views of concern. Just 6pc of consumers purchase green personal-care products and 51pc believed they were of no importance at all however 17pc believed it was the most important type of product to be green but only 10pc believed green products were of inferior quality to non-green alternatives. Research Implications - The sampling method conformed to strict variables and therefore repetition of the study on a different population may deliver varied results. The study was also restricted to Scotland and England therefore a larger sample over a greater geographical area would have allowed for more generalizable results.ba_markmanunpub1407_ethesesunpu