The document discusses green products and consumer behavior in Japan. It provides examples of online shopping portals and databases where consumers can find green products. It also summarizes surveys that found that over 70% of consumers buy refills and turn off lights to save energy. While labels like Eco Mark are widely recognized, environmental performance is not a main purchase consideration. The 2011 earthquake increased consumers' environmental awareness somewhat, especially around energy saving. The document suggests that evaluating and informing consumers better about green products and their benefits could encourage more sustainable purchasing.
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Consumer perception of green products in Japan
1. Green Products and Consumer
behaviour in Japan
Akira Kataoka
IGPN Secretariat
March 2014
2. Where do consumers find green products and
services
Retailers
Internet shopping sites
Online databases
Exhibitions
3. Example: Green Station
www.greenstation.net
Online shopping
portal featuring
products which meet
both Eco Mark criteria
and Green Purchasing
Law criteria.
Supervised by Japan
Environment
Association and Eco
Mark secretariat.
4. Eco Mark - Type I Environmental Label
Environmental labeling
programme operated according to
ISO14020 and 14024.
Considers whole life-cycle of
products
Secretariat hosted by Japan
Environment Association (JEA)
Currently 56 product & service
categories (1,687 companies)
covered (as of Aug 2013)
coping paper, furniture, bio-
degradable plastic products,
retail stores, car-sharing
services, etc
http://www.ecomark.jp/english/
5. Example: Eco Products Net
http://gpn.jp/econet/
Managed by GPN Japan
Currently contains over 15,000
products in 17 product & service
categories from over 700
manufacturers
Capable of simultaneously providing
information on:
Environmental performance of
products from different
manufacturers
Certification by environmental
labeling programmes
Compliance with the Green
Purchasing Law
Pricing, major functions, etc.
Information updated 4 times a year,
allowing users to obtain latest
information
160,000 - 200,000 page view access
per month
6. Example: Regular eco products exhibitions
Eco Products: organised every year in Tokyo by the
Japan Environmental Management Association for
Industry (JEMAI) and Nikkei Inc.
http://eco-pro.com/eco2012/english/index.html
N-Expo: organised every year in Tokyo by Nippo
Business Co Ltd
http://www.nippo.co.jp/eng/n-expo012/index.htm
Prevention of Global Warming: organised every year in
Tokyo by Nippo Business Co Ltd
http://www.nippo.co.jp/stop-ondanka12/index.htm
Tohoku Eco Products: organised every year in Miyagi by
the Tohoku Chamber of Environment
http://www.e-products.jp/2012/
Eco-Technology Exhibition: organised every year in
Fukuoka by the West Japan Industry and Trade
Convention Association
http://www.eco-t.net/
Enviro Shiga: organised every year in Shiga by the Shiga
Environmental Business Exhibition Association
http://www.biwako-messe.com/overview/index.html
7. Surveys on Consumers‟ Awareness &
Behaviour for the Environment
Objectives:
To understand awareness levels and behaviour of consumers for the
environment
To compare the shift in awareness and behaviour after the Great East Japan
Earthquake in March 2011
Areas surveyed: Across Japan
Method: Internet survey
Samples: 53,580 contacted / Replies obtained: 20,846 (38.9%)
Period: May 2011
By Green Market+ Study Group
Sex
Age
20’s 30’s 40’s 50’s 60’s TOTAL
Male
1,683
(16.3%)
2,191
(21.3%)
2,125
(20.6%)
1,987
(19.3%)
2,308
(22.4%)
10,294
(100%)
Female
1,657
(16.1%)
2,141
(20.8%)
2,122
(20.6%)
1,993
(19.4%)
2,367
(23.0%)
10,280
(100%)
Total
3,340
(16.2%)
4,332
(21.1%)
4,247
(20.6%)
3,980
(19.3%)
4,675
(22.7%)
20,574
(100%)
8. 74.6
66.2
65.5
65.4
58.6
52.2
51.4
49.8
43.3
35.9
34.3
23.9
11.7
6.8
4.1
Buy refills
Turn off lights / unplug often as
possible
Use products for long time / Use until
empty
Reduce or separate waste
Reduce use of air conditioners
Control room temperature
Bring my own shopping
bags, chopsticks, cups
Reduce water use when having
shower or washing
Use recycling systems
Try eco-drive when driving cars
Try to consume locally produced
goods and foods
Don't drive car so often
Preferentially buy green products
and services
Use renewable energies
I don't do any of these
What consumers do in their daily life for
the environment?
%
12. How willing are they to choose green products
and services?
6.2
2.2
2.6
5.2
3.4
9.5
10.4
2.8
2.8
13
6
6.2
15.2
9.5
21.9
20.5
6.6
6.5
24.8
18.2
19
29.9
23
28
22.9
16.1
15.2
38.6
47.2
47.4
32.6
43.1
27.6
30.2
50.5
50.9
5.7
8.4
8.9
5.9
7.3
4
4
7.6
7.3
3.7
6.2
0.5
3.6
4.6
2.8
2.6
5.1
5.2
7.9
11.8
10.5
7.6
9.1
6.3
9.3
11.3
12.2
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Drinks / Foods
Stationery
Clothing
Daily necessities (consumables)
Daily necessities (can be used for
some time)
Home alliances / electric goods
Vehicles
Restaurants / Eating places
Hotels / Inns
Very willing (+3) Fairly Willing (+2) Willing (+1) Neither (0) Not willing (-1) Not so willing (-2) Not willing at all (-3)
13. How much did the Great East Japan Earthquake affect
consumers‟ environmental consideration and behaviour?
Huge
difference
(+6)
7%
Difference
(+5)
17%
Difference
(+4)
28%
Difference
(+3)
26%
Difference
(+2)
4%
Difference
(+1)
4%
No change
(0)
14%
Overall Environmental
Consideration Huge
difference
(+6)
7%
Difference
(+5)
17%
Difference
(+4)
31%
Difference
(+3)
24%
Difference
(+2)
4%
Difference
(+1)
4%
No change
(0)
13%
Behaviour in everyday life
14. Some observations
„Buying refills‟ is most practiced, followed by „turn off switches/unplug
off as often as possible‟.
In order to encourage more consumers to practice green
purchasing, environmental criteria / green purchasing guidelines
need to be developed for more product categories?
Eco Mark is most recognised, followed by Low Emission Car
Certificate, Green Mark, Integrated Energy Saving Label
Those labels with long histories and used across many product
categories, such as Eco Mark, and those offering economic
incentives, such as Integrated Energy Saving Label, have higher
awareness.
Environmental performance of products & services are not so much
taken into consideration when they make purchasing decisions.
Green products & services are perhaps not fairly evaluated or
understood in the market?
15. Some more observations
Consumers take environment into consideration when purchasing
durable and energy-saving products, such as cars, home appliances.
On the other hand, they don‟t consider environment when purchasing
consumable daily necessities. In this category, prices are what they
pay most attention to.
Information on environmental effects as well as economic
advantages need to be made more easily available for consumers?
The Great East Japan Earthquake most affected North East and Kanto
(areas in and around Tokyo) regions.
In Kanto region, behaviour to “save energy” is most observed after the
earthquake.
Higher awareness of and more information on the environment
may have led more people to make this behaviour?