In 2008, U.S.-based publisher Hearst Corporation partnered with MediaEdge for a joint research initiative to learn more about how consumers felt about greener products, both in and out of the publishing world, SFN's Going Green reported.

Although the survey focused solely on magazines and not all print content, the results of the survey resonate for companies that publish quality content, especially newspapers. The environment is an important topic for readers, and content that explores that is valued.

Based on a 10-point scale where "10" meant "agree strongly" and "1" meant "disagree strongly," the majority of respondents overall, and women in particular, expressed high levels of interest and trust in green-related magazine content, the survey found.

Women value content that provides tips and advice on how to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle, with 68 percent of women saying they pay attention to these types of articles, and 48 percent of men saying so.

Sixty percent of women said they were interested in reading about eco-related topics in their favourite magazine, while 44 percent of men said so. More than half of women also trust magazine editors to publish reliable information about environmental issues, with 59 percent saying so. Just 37 percent of men agreed with that statement.

Online, women are also more interested in finding information about being eco-friendly, with 61 percent saying they think magazines should have Web sites that provide eco-friendly information. Just 38 percent of men thought so, according to the report, Going Green, released by SFN and the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers.