Survey: Green issues important to readers

Posted by Alisa Zykova on October 23, 2008 at 11:08 PM

Nearly four out of five Hearst Magazine readers ages 13 and above are concerned about the environment, a survey by the magazine publisher found, with 43 percent saying they would stop purchasing a product they use regularly if it wasn’t eco-friendly, Advertising Age reported Wednesday.

Another 43 percent said they would buy a magazine printed on recycled paper and 39 percent said they would pay more for an eco-friendly magazine. The magazine industry is increasingly concerned with reducing its carbon footprint. The American Magazine Conference addressed the issue for the first time earlier this year, according to Ad Age.

Publications such as The Economist and Complex both expressed concern about their impact on the environment. Meanwhile, the industry launched a consumer campaign earlier this year to urge readers to recycle magazines, Ad Age reported.

“Let's be honest,” stated an editor's letter in the 2008 green issue of Complex. “As businesses go, we're rocking a size-14 carbon footprint.”

Almost 75 percent of respondents said they thought “green” statements in advertising may be false. Heart Magazines Senior VP for Advertising Sales and Marketing Jeff Hamill pointed out that advertisers who claim that they are eco-friendly should prove it to consumers, according to Ad Age.

The study was conducted as a venture between Hearst and Mediaedge:cia.

“You can't fool people and just slap a green logo on your ad and call yourself green Managing Partner and Director of Print at Mediaedge:cia," said George Janson, managing partner and director of print at Mediaedge:cia, according to Ad Age. “More and more, consumers want specifics about what companies are doing.”