MarketingVOX: America's consumers offer a warning to business leaders and marketers tempted to ride the green wave: back eco-friendly words with socially responsible actions, or risk a backlash.

Conscious consumers demand that companies be transparent about their practices and accountable for their impact on people and the planet, writes MarketingCharts (via Environmental Leader), citing the inaugural BBMG Conscious Consumer Report.

Nearly nine in 10 Americans say the words "conscious consumer" describe them well, and they are more likely - if products are of equal quality and price - to buy from companies that...

• Manufacture energy efficient products (90 percent)


• Promote health and safety benefits (88 percent)


• Support fair labor and trade practices (87 percent)


• Commit to environmentally friendly practices (87 percent)

"In a world of green clutter, conscious consumers expect companies to do more than make eco-friendly claims. They demand transparency and accountability across every level of business practice," said Raphael Bemporad, founding partner of BBMG.

"Avoiding the green trap means authentically backing your words with socially responsible actions."

Among other findings of the study:

• Consumers are looking beyond the buzz to make more informed decisions about the products they buy and the companies they support:
  
  
  
  • Most use magazines and newspapers (53 percent), certification seals on products (52 percent), the internet (41 percent) and advertisements (30 percent) for more information.
  
  
  • Friends and family members (24 percent) are influential, but not the primary source of information for determining whether a company "does good things for people and the planet."
  
  
  
  


• Consumers' most important issues are the ones that affect their health and wellness most directly:
  
  
  
  • They primarily cite issues such as safe drinking water (90 percent), clean air (86 percent) and finding cures for diseases like cancer, AIDS and Alzheimer's (84 percent).
  
  
  • By comparison, 63 percent describe global warming as the most or a very important issue.
  
  
  
  

• Americans readily self-identify as "conscious consumers" (88 percent say the term describes them well, 37 percent very well), "socially responsible" (88 percent well, 39 percent very well) and "environmentally friendly" (86 percent well, 34 percent very well).


• By contrast, fewer respondents self-identify as "green" (65 percent well, 18 percent very well), which is viewed as a more exclusive category.

• While price (58 percent very important) and quality (66 percent very important) are paramount, convenience (34 percent very important) is edged out by more socially relevant attributes: Where a product is made (44 percent very important), how energy efficient it is (41 percent very important) and its health benefits (36 percent very important) are all integral to consumers' purchasing decisions.

• Whole Foods Market (22 percent) tops the list of the survey's most socially responsible companies, followed by Newman's Own (19 percent), Wal-Mart (18 percent), Burt's Bees (17 percent) and General Electric, Johnson & Johnson and Ben & Jerry's (all 16 percent).

Related stories:

• EarthMoment Commits Commissions to Carbon Offsets


• Consumers Want Green Action from Brands, Businesses


• Environmental Issue Buzz Leaps 169 percent from Last Year


• College Students Politically, Socially Aware; Name 'Most Socially Responsible' Brands


• Tech Brands' Greenness a Growing Factor in Positioning