by Jbs081810 c3 — August 20, 2010—American businesses want to clean up their act when it comes to environmental responsibility, but a perceived lack of information and credible resources are holding them back, according to the Business Cleaning Sustainability Study conducted on behalf of Procter & Gamble Professional, P&G’s division serving the foodservice, building cleaning and maintenance, hospitality, and convenience store industries.
The online study, conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs, surveyed businesses on their sustainability knowledge, product purchase decision-making process, and cleaning habits to gauge perceptions, attitudes and behaviors about topics related to sustainability. Respondents included cleaning product decision makers in four sectors: lodging, foodservice, health care and commercial cleaning industries.
Overall survey highlights include:
- A Lack of Guidelines: Less than a quarter of respondents reported that their business had sustainability guidelines.
Green Confusion: Nine out of 10 respondents believe sustainability and environmental responsibility is important for their business, but only 42 percent report being very or extremely well informed about the topic, and one-third (33 percent) admit to being confused regarding what it means to be green.
In the EPA We Trust: The wide variety of seals, labels and green standards confuse 51 percent of the respondents as to which products are actually respectful of the environment. The Environmental Protection Agency’s Design for the Environment (DfE) certification led the way in the trust factor, with 33 percent saying it was the most-trusted product certification on the market.
- A Desire for Information: 85 percent of respondents say they are interested in obtaining knowledge and resources about how their business can be more environmentally responsible.
Performance and Price Prevail: Despite interest in sustainable products, product performance (61 percent) and price (52 percent) are the top two factors impacting decision makers and their selection of cleaning products.
Can Green Still Clean? For half the respondents, “green” and “effective” can go hand-in-hand, but for 30 percent these qualities are mutually exclusive, and 20 percent are unsure.
- A Bright Spot: Recycling (75 percent) and using energy-efficient light bulbs (67 percent) are the two main steps taken by businesses to be environmentally responsible.
