+ McKinsey on helping green products grow

The latest McKinsey Quarterly has a fantastic article that explores one of the thorniest problems in the growing market for sustainable products. Namely, that while consumer receptivity to sustainability has never been higher, actual adoption lags. They identify five barriers that prevent consumers from adopting green products, as well as ideas on how to overcome them. For example, the first barrier is education (see above image):

Because consumers are largely unaware of green products, a business that sells them must see itself first as an educator, not a sales machine. Our study shows that more than one-third of the consumers who want to help mitigate climate change don’t really know how. The top three ways for them to reduce their own emissions are to drive more fuel-efficient cars, improve the insulation of their homes, and eat less beef (exhibit). Yet when we asked the consumers in our study to name the top three, they fingered recycling, energy-efficient appliances, and driving less. Few consumers knew how eco-friendly it is to shun beef.

There's plenty more where that came from, and we suggest reading the whole article. It's a great framework for assessing that challenges that you may face when introducing a green product.

Read more here