Sustainability Outlook 2008

Data Mining

The Hartman Group has collected a wealth of survey and first-hand observational data on the sustainability-conscious consumer. These data sources provide a rich store of information with which to compare against current patterns of consumption. These comparisons allow us to differentiate between emerging trends and short-term shifts in behavior and attitudes. More importantly, our extensive research warehouse provides the historical context necessary to fully understand what is and what is not happening today.

Our general publications on sustainability include:

• The Hartman Report on Sustainability, 2007
• The Hartman Report: A Consumer Perspective on Sustainability 2003
• Food & the Environment, 1999
• Food & the Environment, 1997
• Food & the Environment, 1996
• The Hartman Environmental Marketing Strategies and Research Report, 1993
• The Hartman Environmental Marketing Report, 1992

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Learn more about Sustainability 2008

• Areas of Investigation
• Return to Overview

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Methodology and Research Scope

The Hartman Group will use an integrated qualitative and quantitative approach to understanding the rapid evolution and adoption of sustainable products and practices. Our researchers work together to enhance one another’s skills and gain an in-depth understanding of relevant issues and tradeoffs from the consumer’s perspective.

Quantitative Methodology

Using an online questionnaire we will survey a nationally representative sample of 1,600 US consumers regarding their attitudes, spending habits and use of sustainable products and services. By comparing this data with our existing database, we can identify the most recent changes in consumption patterns.

The large sample will allow us to measure the depth of current sustainability “consciousness” and involvement. We will have a quantifiable sample size of usage across a number of key categories of consumption so that we can determine the actual attitudes and buying behaviors within each category segment. Finally, the survey data will allow us to go beyond the usual listing of motivators and barriers to uncover the principal drivers responsible for moving consumers along the adoption path from the periphery to the core of the world of sustainability.

Qualitative Methodology

We will utilize traditional anthropological ethnography and complementary innovative methods that allow us to observe and converse with consumers in their most natural environments – in their homes and in the stores they shop. Unlike focus groups or office interviews, which place participants in unfamiliar, contrived settings that discourage meaningful feedback, our approach puts consumers in their natural setting, allowing them to behave more as they would in the course of their normal activities and routines to get at analyzing true consumer behavior. Our in-home interviews will be followed by “house tours” to explore kitchen cupboards and refrigerators, bathroom cabinets, garages, living rooms and any other places where sustainable products or services might be relevant. Our in-store interviews, what we call "shop and talk tours", will allow us to reconcile consumer response and aspirational attitudes with actual consumer shopping behavior with regard to sustainable products and services. Additionally, all of our participants will be asked to do “homework” prior to the interview to provide us with artifacts which help to identify patterns of underlying perceptions, motivations and unarticulated behaviors.

Fieldwork methods for this study will include:

• In-depth Interviews with Artifact Immersions
• Shop and Talk Retail Experience Audits
• Social Network Parties with Product Explorations
• Retrospective Receipt Reflections
• Language Analysis
• Visual Collage Analysis

To become a Subscriber or to request a detailed study scope and overview, contact:

Alison Worthington,
Managing Director, Sustainability
425.452.0818, ext 161