CONSUMER ASPECT AND KNOWLEDGE ABOUT ECO-LABELS ON PRODUCTS : Graduate paper

Potrošačima se danas nudi jako veliki asortiman proizvoda i usluga i potrebno je u toj količini pronaći onaj pravi proizvod koji će zadovoljiti vlastite potrebe i želje. U tom segmentu veliku ulogu imaju sami proizvođači, jer oni moraju kreirati proizvode prema preferencijama kupca. S obzirom da se posljednjih godina sve više govori o globalnom zatopljenju i potrebi za brigom o okolišu, potrošači se u sve većoj mjeri okreću onim proizvodima i proizvođačima koji brinu za okoliš. Upravo iz tog razloga je sedamdesetih godina prošlog stoljeća razvijen pojam zelenog marketinga. Zeleni marketing ima za cilj osmisliti proizvode i usluge koje će zadovoljiti potrebe kupca, a istovremeno biti sigurni za okoliš. Iako kupnja ovakvih proizvoda još uvijek nije značajna, posljednjih se godina povećava, zajedno s povećanjem svijest i znanjem potrošača o brizi za okoliš. Važno je poznavati koje su to oznake na proizvodima koje označavaju da je proizvod proizveden u skladu sa okolišem. Jedna od bitnih oznaka koja mora biti na proizvodima proizvedenim u Europskoj uniji je znak europskog ekološkog proizvoda, a u Hrvatskoj je Ministarstvo gospodarstva i održivog razvoja nadležno za dvije ekološke oznake: Prijatelj okoliša i EU Ecolabel. Sve ekološke oznake se svrstavaju u tri tipa, ovisno o tome tko ih izdaje i tko može dobiti takvu oznaku. Kroz eksperimentalni dio rada istraženo je koji su to stavovi potrošača o ekološkim proizvodima, ali također je utvrđeno u kojoj su mjeri ispitanici upoznati sa pojedinim ekološkim oznakama.Consumers today are offered a very large range of products and services and it is necessary to find the right product in that quantity that will satisfy their own needs and desires. Manufacturers themselves play a big role in this segment, because they have to create products according to customer preferences. As global warming and the need to care for the environment have become increasingly talked about in recent years, consumers are increasingly turning to those products and manufacturers that care about the environment. Therefore, the concept of green marketing was developed in the 1970s. Green marketing aims to design products and services that will meet customer needs while being environmentally friendly. Although the purchase of such products is still small, it has been increasing in recent years, as is the awareness and knowledge of consumers about caring for the environment. It is important to know what are the labels on the products that indicate that the product is manufactured in accordance with the environment. One of the essential labels that must be on products produced in the European Union is the European Eco-label, and in Croatia the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development is responsible for two eco-labels: Environmentally Friendly and EU Ecolabel. All eco-labels are classified into three types, depending on who issues them and who can get such a label. Through the experimental part of the paper, it was investigated what are the aspect of consumers about organic products, but it was also determined to what extent the respondents are familiar with certain eco-labels