The urban Chinese consumer has greater confidence that green products are better for the environment than their North American counterparts, according to the anew study from DuPont — its China Green Living Survey: Consumer Awareness and Adoption of Biobased Products.
Seventy percent were either very or somewhat confident that green products are better for the environment, while of North American consumers, 65% of Canadians and 60% of Americans held similar beliefs.
The findings have exponential potential for greening-up in the world’s largest consumer market with growing demands for China to meet its sustainability targets. “Greater adoption of biobased products in China could help the country reduce its energy intensity and carbon emissions and advance a new era of green manufacturing,” stated Jeremy Xu, VP, Global Sales and Applications, DuPont Industrial Biosciences.
A majority of Chinese consumers are likely to purchase apparel, personal care, hygiene and household products made from biobased ingredients that offer environmental benefits. More than three quarters of respondents would definitely or likely buy such products in a range of categories including: Detergents 82%, Personal hygiene 81%, Clothing 78%, Personal Care Products 77%.
In North America, there are more than 20,000 biobased products manufactured according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s BioPreferred Program which tracks such data. “China has the opportunity to develop and promote products made with biobased ingredients as part of a strategy to reduce petroleum consumption, increase the use of renewable resources, better manage the carbon cycle and help contribute to reducing adverse environmental impacts,” said Ron Buckhalt, program manager, BioPreferred Program, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The survey also found that higher-income Chinese consumers were more familiar with and receptive to green and biobased products, an apparent byproduct of effective marketing and education.
Dupont’s own environmental record is spotty. As the largest producer of CFC’s (chlorofluorocarbons), ozone-depleting chemicals used in aerosol sprays and refrigerants with a 25% market share in the 1980s, they promised to stop production if CFC’s were proven harmful to the ozone layer.
Following a March 15, 1988 NASA announcement that CFC’s were indeed creating a hole in the ozone layer above Antarctica and thinning it worldwide, DuPont made good on their promise and said CFC’s would not be sold after 1995. In 2003, DuPont was awarded the National Medal of Technology as the leader in developing CFC replacements.
DuPont also found itself during the November US elections, having contributed $4,025,200 to oppose passage of California Proposition 37, which aimed to make disclosure of genetically modified (GMO) crops used in the food production mandatory. The company was also named for a second consecutive year to the Thomson Reuters’ Top 100 Global Innovators list.
“Throughout our history, DuPont has been awarded more than 37,500 patents. Today, innovation requires that we put our patents to work, collaborating with our customers and anticipating growth trends in key markets,” stated Thomas Connelly, EVP and chief innovation officer for DuPont.
As any major brand with valuable data and rich resources, here’s hoping Dupont stays on the green side in China and across the globe as a force for sustainability rather than depletion.
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