Project: TopTen - Ecological Product Innovation and Sustainable Consumption |
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Funding: Federal Ministry of Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture
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Consumers' interests and preferences have considerably changed since the 1980s and 90s. While the 80s witnessed a boom for genuine, ecological products, the late 90s were characterised by a backlash, leading to the disappearance from the market of many products with an eco-ethical image and a makeshift impression. The negative image of ecological products of the first generation indeed still continues to have an effect. Today, however, there are modern target groups wishing to combine fun, pleasure and ecology. Ecological benefits are but one amongst several demands of modern, multioptional consumers. Products are expected to be of highest quality, well designed and extremely convenient at the same time. The project EcoTopTen aimed at advancing such products with regard to supply as well as to demand. It was ISOE's task to conduct the consumer research, applying socio-scientific methods, in order to assess in how far the products fulfill all these requirements, i.e. not only the objective demands of quality and ecology but also the subjective desires of special target groups. The project spanned two phases. The pilot phase (until the end of 2004) directly involved large- and small-scale enterprises as well as trade and business associations in product development, consumer research and the conceptual design of the information campaign. The enterprises included the Volkswagen AG with its 3 liter Lupo car, the Deutsche Telekom with their virtual answering and fax machine T-NetBox, the German association for personal hygiene and detergent industries IKW, the TV equipment manufacturer Loewe, LichtBlick, a provider of ecologically produced power, and the Deutsche Bahn AG with their Bahncard rail fare scheme in combination with car sharing. In the second project phase, which started in March 2005 together with the beginning of the EcoTopTen campaign, further product groups were dealt with: clothes, home, television, financial investments, eating and drinking, cooling-cooking-dishwashing. The consumer research studies not only dealt with private consumers' acceptance of the products, but also with the readiness among purchasing agents of public authorities and also of large-scale enterprises to include EcoTopTen products in their operational procurements. Bulk purchasers in large enterprises are environmentally relevant in two aspects: First of all they are able to influence the employee's behaviour on business trips (e.g. to travel in a more sustainable way). Secondly they represent an important market power. If for instance the catholic and the protestant church already cooperating economically jointly decided to order only emission reduced cars, that would have a great impact on the relevant production policy of car manufacturers. As thousands of products are available on the market, EcoTopTen focussed on the ten most important product fields, which nevertheless account for two thirds of all environmental impacts. EcoTopTen could only be successful if the existing diversity of consumer needs, lifestyles and target groups are correctly assessed. ISOE's product oriented approach to consumer research from the consumers' point of view, as applied in the project EcoTopTen, was a central element of PROSA, the Product Sustainability Assessment conducted under the direction of the Öko-Institut. Adapted from the assessment results, innovation goals were formulated and made accessible to all interested companies. These thus gained the opportunity to develop or improve EcoTopTen products. Based on these goals the Öko-Institut then compiled precise demands with regard to the products – the so-called EcoTopTen criteria – and provided a survey of the market for conventional and innovative products. Products complying with these criteria are considered as EcoTopTen products. A broad consumer information campaign (http://www.ecotopten.de) presented the consumers with EcoTopTen and supplied them with concise recommendations for attractive products and sensible purchase decisions with regard to ecology, quality and costs. Various promotions and events, such as contests or fair presentations, served to continously publicise information on new EcoTopTen products as well as substainable product use. The campaign was supported by the Federal Ministry of Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture (BMVEL). Further activites were supported by the Legacy for the Future Foundation (Stiftung Zukunftserbe). |
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