By Nichola Groom
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. companies are working hard to make everything from clothing to laundry detergent more environmentally friendly, corporate executives said this week at the Reuters Consumer and Retail Summit.
But even though consumers are enamored with the idea of having cupboards and closets full of "green" products, they have not been willing to pay higher prices or accept compromises on quality.
More than ever, Americans are using their wallets in an effort to combat climate change, snapping up everything from energy-efficient washing machines to recycled paper towels.
In an effort to satisfy that demand and make consumers feel better about the products they buy, manufacturers such as Procter & Gamble Co. (PG.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Whirlpool Corp. (WHR.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and others are paring back packaging, researching sustainable materials and making their products and operations more energy efficient.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), the world's biggest retailer, has helped push its suppliers to make those changes with initiatives aimed cutting energy usage and packaging -- and reducing both the retailer's and manufacturers' costs.
Procter & Gamble is one company taking a big step toward reducing its packaging this year with the launch of concentrated laundry detergent, but a senior executive acknowledged that changing consumers' habits would not be easy.
"How do you convince consumers that small is beautiful in laundry?" P&G's global product supply officer, Keith Harrison, said at the Reuters Consumer and Retail Summit in New York. "Everyone has managed to do that in cell phones and iPods, but how you get consumers to understand that small is beautiful in laundry will be an interesting challenge."
Other executives speaking at the summit agreed that there are still plenty of difficulties marketing environmentally friendly products, saying U.S. consumers are only willing to go so far in their efforts to "go green." Continued...
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