Annual EcoMarket Summary Released

Reading, PA

- Environmental marketing agency TerraChoice recently released its EcoMarkets 2007 Summary Report-an annual research initiative that monitors the patterns of green procurement and supply chain management in business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-government (B2G) contexts.

This report, available free of charge, can be obtained through TerraChoice's Web site at http://www.terrachoice.com/. A more detailed and customized analysis is available to the organization's clients and partners upon request.

Hundreds of procurement professionals across North America with more than $5 billion in annual spending are represented in the sample population. This year, TerraChoice partnered with two other organizations to prepare the study: The North American Green Purchasing Initiative (NAGPI), a project of the trilateral North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation; and The Responsible Purchasing Network, a project of the Center for a New American Dream.

Some of the study's key findings include:

• Nearly half of the organizations now have paper re-use/recycle programs. However, only about one-third have implemented paper reduction programs and about 25 percent have green paper purchasing programs in place.
• More than 80 percent believe environmentally preferable paper means the paper has been made from recycled materials; 30 percent state it means that non-toxic chemicals have been used.
• Fifty-six percent believe that green cleaning products are those that have no harmful by-products or ingredients; 31 percent believe it means the products are biodegradable; and 22 percent say that green cleaning products are eco-friendly, not harmful to the environment or people.
• Although only 28 percent of janitorial contracts require the use of green cleaning products, a full 30 percent of those surveyed said they didn't know whether or not their organization required the use of such products so it is believed the 28 percent may underestimate this pattern.

According to Scott McDougall, president and CEO of TerraChoice Environmental Marketing, "Few B2B markets have seen as much growth in the use of environmentally preferable products as the cleaning sector. They are driven by concerns about indoor health, worker safety, and the potentially hazardous impacts of some conventional cleaning products."

McDougall adds that there is little doubt that green purchasing on the institutional level is at an all-time high. "In other words, green markets are larger than ever before," he says, "and this is very good news for the makers and marketers of environmentally preferable products."

About TerraChoice
A science-based marketing firm, TerraChoice helps clients convert genuine environmental leadership into winning strategy, communications and positioning.

TerraChoice offers:

• Validation products such as EcoLogo^TM, which was established in 1988 to help provide a market incentive to manufacturers and suppliers of environmentally-preferable products and services, as well as to help consumers identify products and services that are less harmful to the environment.
• Consulting in environmental marketing strategy and communication as well as in policy, purchasing and program delivery.
• Market research, focused on "green" purchasers in B2B, B2G and B2C commerce.

More information on products and services offered by TerraChoice Environmental Marketing can be found at www.terrachoice.com