CHICAGO — According to Mintel's latest report on green living, the environment remains a concern for the majority of Americans with more than one-third (35%) of survey respondents say they would pay more for ‘environmentally friendly’ products.
"Given this increased interest in the environment over the past few years, nearly every segment of consumer products now offers a 'green' option for shoppers," said Chris Haack, senior analyst at Mintel. "Food and beverage and personal care are the two most mature categories and account for the majority of green products in the marketplace."
The natural and organic food and beverage category saw only slight growth in 2009 (1.8%) as the recession took its toll on nearly every sector of the consumer goods marketplace. Despite this stall, sales in this segment are forecast to grow nearly 20% from 2010 to 2012.
Similar to food and beverage, sales of green personal care products saw only a slight incline in 2009 (1.2%). This segment is poised to resume rapid growth once consumer spending begins to recover from the current downturn, the report said. One-third of all consumers have never tried organic or natural personal care products, suggesting that there is plenty of room for growth in this market.
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