When it comes to businesses and green practices, desire and intentions may be on target but knowledge and understanding are slightly askew. According to the recent Business Cleaning Sustainability Study, businesses want to “clean green” but are often confused by various product labels, definitions and requirements. Lodging, foodservice, health care and commercial cleaning sectors were the four industries examined. Here are a few findings:
- Nine out of 10 respondents believe being green is important, but only 42% feel well informed about it and 33% have felt very confused about what it means to be green
- Less than 25% reported that business sustainability guidelines were in place
- 51% have difficultly differentiating products, while 33% state that the EPA’s certification is the most trusted
- 85% reported being interested in obtaining knowledge and resources on being environmentally responsible
- The top two factors in deciding whether to buy green cleaning products are product performance (61%) and price (52%)
- 50% believe that “green” and “clean” can work together, but 30% think these qualities are mutually exclusive
- Preferences in purchasing green products matter most in lodging (26%) with the foodservice industry at the bottom (8%)
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