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.

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?
%

9. 11.9
0.6
7.4
1
8.4
0.6
16.2
0.9
0.9
0.6
44
4.2
31.9
5.2
34.4
3.7
49.8
7.4
5.4
3.5
36.1
14.4
42.9
16.1
26.2
14.2
23.2
14.3
10.2
11.1
2.9
80.8
17.8
77.7
31
81.4
107
77.3
83.5
84.8
Eco Mark
Eco Leaf
Green Mark
Eco Rail Mark
Integrated Energy Saving Label
Eco First
Low Emission Car Certificate
Carbon Offset
Carbon Footprint
Eco Action Point
Environmental Labeling – Levels of
Awareness
I can explain what the logo means
I know fairly well what the logo means
I've seen the logo but am not sure what it means
I saw the logo for the first time

10. Sources of Information
Leafletsinserted
inpublications
TVand/orradio
advertising
Advertising
(usingmoving
images)on
internetor
News-papersand
/ormagazines
TVand/orradio
programs
Products
comparisonson
internetsites
Websitesof
manufacturersor
retailers
Listingson
certainwebsites
Informationfrom
friendsor
acquaintances
Fromsales
assistants
Point-of-sales
materials
Other
Don‟tcollect
information/
Don‟tbuygreen
products
Drinks / foods 43.3 31.9 7.9 15.2 18.8 8.9 9.3 10.4 18.9 7.7 30.1 4.6 19.1
Stationery 10.9 10.8 4.3 9.9 6.9 6.4 4.6 5.9 9.1 4.9 20.2 6.1 42.4
Clothing 28.4 12.9 7.6 13.7 7.6 8.0 7.2 7.7 9.4 15.2 19.1 6.4 27.5
Daily
necessities
(consumable)
35.7 21.7 4.2 8.5 9.4 5.8 4.3 5.9 9.5 4.0 23.4 4.3 28.6
Daily
necessities (can
be used for
some time)
23.0 11.4 4.0 8.1 6.7 8.4 5.3 6.9 8.1 7.3 19.7 5.7 36.8
Home
appliances /
electric goods
27.2 26.4 10.8 17.6 14.4 37.2 20.8 24.0 12.8 34.8 28.0 3.4 13.1
Vehicles 13.6 26.2 9.4 17.3 11.7 19.8 23.2 14.1 11.4 31.3 15.5 5.1 23.4
Restaurants /
Eating places
13.6 11.9 6.9 17.0 14.0 20.3 12.1 26.0 32.0 2.6 8.0 5.6 22.7
Hotels / Inns 9.8 9.6 9.2 18.2 13.2 32.6 17.2 32.5 21.8 2.5 7.1 5.7 19.6

11. What they pay most attention to
UnitPrice
Manufacturers
and/orretailers
Rawmaterials
and/orthe
originsof
products
Mediaexposure
Design
Effectiveness
and/orfunctions
Safety
Durability
Social
contribution
Environmental
performance(low
CO2emissions,
etc.)
Certificationby
public
institutions
Other
Don‟tpay
attention/Don‟t
buygreen
products
Drinks / foods 58.4 34.4 58.2 8.3 2.7 16.3 62.9 1.8 4.5 4.2 12.9 3.5 6.0
Stationery 42.1 10.3 5.4 2.5 34.1 34.5 15.6 22.5 2.5 3.6 5.7 2.5 16.2
Clothing 45.8 18.1 15.5 4.5 64.2 20.5 11.8 25.3 2.3 2.5 3.7 2.7 8.1
Daily
necessities
(consumable)
67.9 16.2 13.5 6.1 4.4 32.5 29.8 5.6 5.3 12.7 6.4 2.2 9.3
Daily
necessities (can
be used for
some time)
41.8 13.2 11.3 3.0 36.4 29.2 29.8 42.6 3.1 5.8 6.7 2.3 10.8
Home
appliances /
electric goods
36.3 33.2 15.7 10.3 43.6 48.2 38.8 52.5 8.4 23.0 15.3 2.0 6.6
Vehicles 22.5 34.3 14.2 10.5 46.0 35.0 52.8 44.1 11.0 34.4 11.8 3.2 15.1
Restaurants /
Eating places
36.5 21.0 13.6 9.5 4.7 7.2 41.9 1.2 5.5 3.0 7.6 12.1 15.3
Hotels / Inns 38.7 15.1 3.1 10.6 7.4 12.8 30.5 1.8 7.9 3.5 15.0 14.1 17.9

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?