Almost two-thirds of Australians said they would feel more positive toward a company if it took part in Earth Hour, while just under half said a firm’s participation would make them more likely to use their products or services, according to research out this week.
Figures from AMR Interactive, which carried out a survey on behalf of Earth Hour organisers WWF, found that 47% of those questioned agreed and 15% strongly agreed that a company’s participation in Earth Hour would make them more positive toward it, while 33% of the 3393 questioned agreed and 10% strongly agreed that this would make them more likely to use its products and services.
When asked if participation would make them more likely to recommend the company to family and friends, 32% agreed and 10% strongly agreed.
The online survey was started the moment Earth Hour started at 8pm on Saturday. Figures comparing people’s attitudes in Sydney last year to this show that 60% felt positive toward a participating Earth Hour company, compared to 51% last year. 42% said they were more likely to use their products this year, compared to 33% in 2006, while 40% said they were more likely to recommend the company to family friends up from 32% last year.
A variety of participation by food and beverage industry businesses was visible in both the manufacturing and hospitality sectors this year. Restaurants such as J + J O’Brien’s The Watershed Hotel at Darling Harbour, managed to continue “service as usual” while turning off all external lighting, internal floor lights, and dimming the bar lighting for one hour and thus ensuring that patrons could contribute to the cause while enjoying the pleasant atmosphere and delicious meals of the restaurant — and making the most of the location of front-row views for the spectacle of the Sydney sky-line without its signature lights. The staff continued to provide an excellent service, without letting the rather unusual darkness effect the patrons in any way but the positive – illustrating that with a little pre-planning, anyone can contribute to this important cause.
“Earth Hour has moved from being an event that simply encourages people to turn their lights out. It clearly now has a tangible effect on how people view an organisation and its products,” AMR Interactive managing director, Gary Wilkinson, said.
“How a company operates within the environmental field is starting to be noticed by employees. However, there is still considerable scepticism that exists around the environmental claims made by businesses. Businesses will need to provide continuing evidence of their commitment to the environment and climate change issues.”
AMR Interactive surveyed 3393 Australian adults living in capital cities about their attitudes and participation rates for Earth Hour 2008. Results show that an average of 58% of Australian adults living in capital cities took part in this year’s event.
With the food industry focus placed highly on environmental factors, green products are at the tip of everyone’s tongues. While Earth Hour is by no means the end of the line for contributing to the environment, it is certain that with the publicity surrounding the event, it is an ideal opportunity for the food industry to truly engage and communicate with their consumers in an important and ongoing way.