A newly released survey, conducted in seven countries — the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Brazil, India, Germany and France — indicates that while many environmental beliefs and behaviors are shared across different consumer cultures, others vary widely. Generally, consumers in the US, UK, Germany and France tend to align in their attitudes, while consumers in Brazil, India, and China have divergent views, and are particularly inclined to seek green products and to favor companies they consider green.

Consumers from all seven countries believe that green products cost more than comparable non-green products, and also indicate they plan to spend more money on green products in the coming year.

“While reducing toxics heads the list of consumer priorities the data also show that the public holds companies accountable for good environmental behavior across the board,” said Dan Esty, chairman of Esty Environmental Partners.  “Consumers expect companies to recycle, use energy efficiently, reduce packaging, and pursue green innovation.  So to gain loyalty, a company’s environmental strategy must be comprehensive.”

(via Cohn&Wolfe)