Consumers happy to pay 'green premium'

Results of a survey released Tuesday show that a majority of European consumers are willing to pay that little bit extra for environmentally friendly technology.

The survey was conducted by UK research firm Canalys and interviewed 2,000 employed adult mobile phone and PC users in France, Germany, Italy Spain, and the UK.

Slightly more than half - 55 per cent - of consumers agreed or strongly agreed with the statement: "I would pay up to a 10 per cent premium for electronic products that were manufactured in a more environmentally conscious way."

The survey showed that there was very little variation in attitude across gender, income groups, or among respondents of different education levels. Analysts put this down to widespread media coverage of global warming, which has helped raise awareness across all social groups.

The UK came bottom of the five countries surveyed when it came to paying a premium for "green" products. Across all countries, energy-saving measures that did not involve a purchase decision, such as turning appliances off standby, were more commonly undertaken than those that did.

Several technology companies operating in Ireland such as Intel, Dell and HP have recently announced environmental initiatives.

Research released in March showed that a majority of Irish IT companies feel they could and should be doing more to protect the environment, but the sometimes high costs associated with doing so were cited as a turn-off.

The results of this latest survey seem to suggest however that consumers may be willing to absorb at least some of the additional costs associated with being more environmentally aware.

© 2007 ENN