Excerpt from the academic journal gestion 2000 by tracy tuten

As more and more people become aware of the dire environmental health crisis, companies have begun to market environmentally friendly products and services. They offer sustainable solutions to consumers by changing product or packaging materials, production and distribution practices, and providing recycling options for products. The largest priority companies have in “going green” is making profits, which often holds more significance than aiding the planet. Though these “green products” offer an eco-friendly solution, it is typically not the main feature of the product. Some select consumers are willing to make a sacrifice in either price, quality, or convenience in order to reduce carbon footprint, but for the vast majority, eco-friendliness is not a big enough concern to buy green products. Many lean away from green products as they often do not function as well as traditional products and are more expensive. Even as eco-friendly goods are set at a similar price and have similar performance, they still receive a stigma of being lower quality. This reason and the fact that environmentally friendly production may not necessarily be in the consumers interest is what creates such an impediment to switching consumers to the green market.

Another reason many are reluctant to purchase green products or services is the idea of a lack of self efficacy, which means that individuals do not believe they themselves can make a notable difference in such a cause. These types of consumers and those who do not care for the environment are another part of what makes green marketing so difficult. 

Lastly, a reluctance to go green may stem from the company itself, in a case called “greenwashing”. Because of the large push by corporations to reduce carbon footprints and care for the environment, companies may have an incentive to oversell or outright lie about their eco-friendly habits in order to promote their “green products” while not making any effort to help the environment. This matter commonly results in significantly increased skepticism about a company’s environmental goals and may steer non-green consumers further from green products.

One of the largest hurdles to be overcome is convincing consumers to make the switch to green products, and fighting against the negative stigma of eco-friendly messages. GreenAlpacas helps break that barrier not by offering more green products, but by helping organizations make the switch as seamlessly as possible. Though many are hesitant to change their habits for various reasons, helping those unfamiliar with green products builds healthier habits on a larger scale and combats the idea of being unable to make a difference. Assisting the green switch will also reduce the consumers impact on the environment and promote change towards a more eco-friendly world.

So how can you help support our cause? A donation of any size would help tremendously and 100% of the money would go towards helping organizations replace products like utensils and bags with a biodegradable alternative. Another way to help would be to simply share our initiative with others and help us spread our reach to businesses that are looking to go green. We are always looking for more ways to spread positive change, and if you have any suggestions about our proposal, please contact us at [email].