GreenMarketReport.com is an online magazine that publishes book
reviews and feature stories for sustainable business leaders. We provide new insight into business strategy, public policy and
demographic trends, while chronicling the flourishing demand for earth-friendly
and health-promoting products. We review a diverse selection of books--everything from urban design and
environmental history to natural medicine and sustainable strategy.
What is the Green Market?
The green market exists to serve consumer desire for products that are functional,
health-promoting and free of toxic ingredients. Green consumers can be rich, poor,
liberal or conservative--yet they all share a common belief that their dollars should
align with their values. At the same time, many entrepreneurs feel a renewed sense of
connection to their communities and the earth, and they want this to be reflected in their businesses.
Market Research
The 2003 report from Natural Business Communications and The Natural Marketing
Institute estimates that the green market customer base includes 68 million U.S. adults
(an increase of 7 percent over 2002). In 2000, Natural Business Communications coined
the term LOHAS (short for Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability), which now
serves as the title of their industry journal.
In 1996, Paul Ray, a market researcher, was the first to identify the shift in
consumer buying motivations. Previously, consumers had been segmented into two broad
categories--the moderns and the traditionalists. Ray’s research demonstrated that
for a group he called the cultural creatives, values, social conscience and
environmental sentiment are the number one motivators. This trend, further detailed
in his 2000 book with Sherry Anderson,
The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People
Are Changing the World, has only accelerated in the years since it was first spotted.
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