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Environmental

Brazilian appeals not trust the labels, research indicates Idec

03/11/2013

This article was translated by an automatic translation system, and was therefore not reviewed by people.

 


 


RIO - The increasing number of appeals on environmental responsibility, social and health related attributes on product packaging is inversely proportional to the credibility that consumers attach to that information. This is one of the conclusions of the study "The consumer perceptions on appeal in the packaging," the result of a partnership between the Brazilian Institute for Consumer Defense (IDEC) and Market Analysis, which heard 900 consumers in five regions of the country. The survey also shows that one in four Brazilians are aware of messages like "environmentally friendly", "more economical", "no trans fat", "recyclable packaging," among many others disclosed by the manufacturers on the labels. Moreover, nearly half (43%) even acknowledges this information. 
 
- We wanted to know if the consumer pays attention to these calls, and how they influence their buying decision. There was no survey of public opinion in this regard. However, our expectation was that a greater number of consumers were aware. The result, which reveals that 24% perceive the messages on labels, seemed small when you consider that there are more than 30 certification in Brazil and that there is usually more than one appeal of this type of label - says Michele Afonso, manager of Analysis of Market Analysis. 

Responsibility or greenwash?

Information about environmental responsibility are perceived by most consumers (53%). Despite this, almost 60% of them suspect that this is greenwash, called greenwashing, ie marketing and very little action. 
 
- There is a certain abuse of the name Echo. This shows the need for a system of organizing stamps and certificates to regain consumer confidence. Research shows that among those consumers who call themselves environmentalists, there is a huge mistrust with respect to products that boast to be environmentally friendly. The trivialization increased disrepute - Fátima Portilho evaluates, professor of the Graduate Program in Social Sciences, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, a specialist in environmental sociology and consumption. 

One finding that surprised the manager of Testing and Research Idec, Thadeu Carlos de Oliveira, was the lack of credibility attributed by consumers to the information certified by the government: less than half of the respondents consider it very or fairly confident. The percentage is not only lower than that paid to data reported by manufacturers (36%) and industry associations (34%). 

- This result shows that there is a crisis of credibility of Brazilian consumers in relation to the government and manufacturers. It even seems incongruous when security is cited as an attribute that most influences the buying decision and greater credibility, which is directly linked to the work of the National Institute of Metrology (INMETRO). It may be that people do not identify the institute as a government agency - Oliveira conjecture, stating that international organizations, experts, independent institutions and NGOs, in order, were considered the most reliable sources. 

Moment of skepticism
For Bernadette Adams, coordinator of Social ESPM, we live in a time of consumer skepticism regarding the sustainability reporting, just the perception of a gap between the promises made by brands and their production processes and management: 

- Research shows that people more attentive to the calls made by the companies in the packaging are part of an urban middle class and intellectualized. Therefore, they are more critical. No wonder consumers are willing to pay for attributes that are more tangible, such as security and economy. 

According to research, the suckers are actually minority among Brazilian consumers. Only 11% are classified as "apostles," those who believe wholeheartedly in everything that is reported on the label of products. That is, 89% have a lesser or greater degree, a critical view of what companies want to sell them. 

- This shows that most understand what the company wants to sell, but is not convinced of the veracity of the information - said the manager of Research and Test Idec.
Interestingly, Michele says, is that if the economy of resources, even without absolute confidence in the data, the factor is taken into account at the time of purchase:
- And the calls do not work the same way for all regions, just as there are different sensitivities according to the audience. 

It highlights, for example, that young people are more aware of environmental messages; women and elderly health issues, and the lower middle class, the attributes of the economy.
The Northeast, moreover, were consumers who were more attentive to the information on the packaging of products (34%). Well above the rate in the Southeast (23%). The differences appear even between neighboring states like Rio and Sao Paulo: 35% of Rio's attuned to the labels compared to 16% of São Paulo.
In turn, between the Paulista, the weight of the information in purchasing decisions is greater. 
 
 

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