Your browser is out-of-date!

Update your browser to view this website correctly. Update my browser now

×

Consumers Want ‘Green’ CE: CEA

Arlington, Va. — New data from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) suggests more consumers expect their consumer electronics devices to be environmentally friendly.

The association today released a report called “Going Green: An Examination of the Green Trend and What it Means to Consumers and the CE Industry,” based on an online survey of 960 adults during September 2008.

CEA said that even though overall consumer awareness of “green” CE offerings lags behind the levels of awareness of green products in other categories like household products and automobiles, 33 percent of surveyed consumers said they expect to make some type of green CE purchase within the next two years.

“Consumers are now beginning to associate terms like recycling and energy efficiency with consumer electronics products,” said Tim Herbert, CEA’s market research senior director. “As they seek out those attributes in the purchasing process, there is enormous opportunity for manufacturers and retailers to educate consumers about green products and how purchasing decisions can impact the environment.”

According to the study, price and features continue to be the primary purchase drivers for CE products, but CEA concluded that green attributes will increasingly be a factor. The association used the television as a primary example of a CE product where “green” attributes are proving to be a priority for consumers. The survey found that 89 percent of households want their next television to be more energy efficient and 53 percent of consumers said they would be willing to pay some type of premium for televisions with green attributes.

CEA said it found that manufacturers continue to be challenged by the task of making consumers aware of their products’ green attributes. The study found high levels of consumer awareness of logos like the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star, but CEA said the absence of a single indicator for other “green” attributes leads to consumer confusion. According to CEA, the study found consumers desire an easy way to determine if a product meets environmental standards, such as logos and descriptions printed on the product packaging.

“With 74 percent of consumers saying that companies should do more to protect the environment, it’s critical that CE manufacturers and retailers clearly communicate with customers regarding the environmentally friendly products and programs offered by the industry,” said Parker Brugge, CEA’s environmental affairs and industry sustainability VP.

The entire report is available at http://mycea.ce.org for free to CEA member companies and for $999 for non-members.

Featured

Close