18 Aug 2005 @ 23:39, by Raymond Powers
Students Purchasing More Green & Organic Products for Back to School Needs
From: Center for a New American Dream - www.newdream.org
Aug 16, 2005
Press Release August 16, 2005
Contact: Sarah Roberts
Sarah@newdream.org
301-891-3683/ cell 202-255-8332
College Students Spend Cash Wisely As They Search for Back-To School Products That Reflect Positive Values Survey shows 91% of college students and 88% parents say they would be likely to purchase environmentally friendly products if they were available at stores they shopped at.
Takoma Park, MD According to a back-to-school survey commissioned by Center for a New American Dream, an environmental nonprofit, nearly all (93%) of college students agree that American consumers can conserve resources, protect workers, and build a better world by shopping carefully for environmental and fair trade products. The survey shows a growing number of college students, eight in ten (89%), are willing to spend extra money for products produced by companies that pay workers good wages and provide desirable working conditions.
Second only to the December holidays when it comes to spending, the back-to-school retail season offers an opportunity for consumers to make a difference by supporting environmentally and socially responsible products with their dollars and collective voices. This year college students plan to spend average of $1,539 on back-to-school shopping, compared to the estimated $574 parents expect to spend. With more campus cash to go around, retailers that sell fair trade and environmental friendly products may see increased sales among a new set of conscious consumers.
"College students are bringing their values into the marketplace. Companies need to wake up and provide more environmental and fair trade products if they want to win lifelong loyalty from young consumers," says Betsy Taylor, president of New American Dream.
According to the survey, a majority of students (88%) want their campus store to offer more environmental and fair trade products. Some campuses are leading the charge. Duke University and Middlebury College offer recycled paper, notebooks, binders, and fair-trade clothing in their campus bookstores. According to Betsy Taylor, "people are starting to realize that simple consumer choices can help resolve complex problems such as global warming, deforestation, and depletion of the Earth's precious natural resources." New American Dream offers tips and product information for students and parents to help them find those necessary school items without straining their wallets or the environment. At www.shopbacktoschool.org, you will find a buying guide directing consumers to environmentally and socially responsible products like clothes, backpacks, electronics, paper, personal care items, and much more.
Top Five Tips for Back-to-School Shopping:
1. Before heading out to shop, dust off leftover notebooks, pens and pencils from last year and re-use, re-use, re-use.
2. Look for products made from recycled materials. If you don't find any, bring some suggestions to the attention of the store manager. There are numerous options for recycled paper, notebooks, scissors, paper clips, and binders for example.
3. While searching for a new laptop or computer and other electronics, look for the "Energy Star" label. This guarantees you use less energy when you "power up." Also keep in mind many manufacturers offer refurbished computers at a fraction of the cost of brand new machines more information visit www.newdream.org/computers.
4. Avoid unnecessary packaging. It¹s wasteful and often ends up in our landfills and streams.
5. When searching for the latest in fashion, check labels for sweatshop free and organic cotton materials.
Visit www.shopbacktoschool.org for more product information and a virtual green dorm room tour for the savvy student.
Please contact Sarah Roberts at 301-891-3683, if you would like to interview with Betsy Taylor of the Center for a New American Dream or college students about their experiences on campus or parents.
# # #
The Center for a New American Dream helps Americans consume responsibly to protect the environment, enhance quality of life, and promote social justice. We work with individuals, institutions, communities, and businesses to conserve natural resources, counter the commercialization of our culture and promote positive changes in the way goods are produced and consumed. www.newdream.org Back-to-School Stats Back-to-School Poll Highlights
The following statistics are results are from one online poll of 553 parents who have children 18 years of age or younger and a second 512 college students ages 18-23. All data has been re-weighted to be representative of the U.S. population (2000 Census). The poll was conducted by Widmeyer Research & Polling for the Center for a New American Dream. The margin of error is +/- 4.2% (95% confidence level).
* 8 in 10 (83%) of students have purchased an environmentally friendly or fair trade products in the past year.
* Nearly all (93%) of students say they American consumers can conserve resources, protect workers, and build a better world by shopping carefully for environmental and fair trade products.
* More than 3 in 5 parents (62%) say they will spend MORE on back-to-school shopping this year compared to last year. Only 23% say they will spend LESS.
* More than a third of (36%) college students will you spend an average of $1,539 on "back to school" shopping this year, including school supplies, clothing, electronics, and other major purchases.
* Nearly all parents (96%) are familiar with environmentally friendly products and 3 in 4 (75%) have purchased them in the last year. Nearly 9 in 10 parents (88%) say they would be likely to purchase environmentally friendly products if they were available at stores they shopped at.
* 3 in 5 parents (60%) are familiar with fair trade products and more than 1 in 3 (38%) have purchased them in the last year. More than 7 in 10 parents (73%) say they would be likely to purchase fair trade products if they were available at stores they shopped at.
* 2 in 3 parents (66%) say they would be likely to spend a little more money for products produced by companies that pay workers a fair wage and provide good working condition.
* A majority of parents (80%) agree that American consumers can conserve resources, protect workers, and build a better world by shopping carefully for environmental and fair trade products.
Additional Back-to-School Stats
According to the National Retail Federation 2004 Back-to-College Consumer
Intentions and Actions Survey...
* College students and their parents spend $25.7 billion on back-to-school merchandise, almost twice as much as what is spent for primary education.
* Americans spent roughly $40.5 billion on back-to-school and back-to-college merchandise in 2003.
* Parents and students will spend $7.5 billion on electronics, $8.8 billion on textbooks, $3.2 billion on clothing and accessories, $2.6 billion on dorm or apartment furnishings, $2.1 billion on school supplies, and $1.5 billion on shoes.
* Before returning to campus, college students and their parents will pump $25.7 billion into the economy, nearly twice as much as what will be spent on elementary through high school students ($14.8 billion).
* The average freshman, who will likely be moving away from home for the first time, plans to spend $1205.97, primarily on electronics ($759.97).
* Juniors, who may be moving off campus for the first time, plan to spend $811.83 on average, with nearly one-third of their spending ($278.47) devoted to dorm and apartment furnishings.
* Sophomores' and seniors' spending will be significantly less ($444.66 and $425.23 on average, respectively).
* The $40.5 billion that will be spent on back-to-school and back-to-college merchandise this year should account for more than four percent of total annual GAFS (general merchandise stores, clothing and clothing accessories stores, furniture and home furnishings stores, electronics and appliances stores, and sporting goods, hobby, book and music stores) sales, second only to the holiday season.
Environmental and Labor Impacts
* 3.4 million tons of printing and writing papers are purchased each year
during the back-to-school season. (American Forest and Paper Association)
* In the United States, more than 90% of printing and writing paper comes
from virgin tree fiber. (Conserveatree)
* One ton of 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper saves 24 trees and
4100 kilowatt hours of electricity. (Conserveatree)
* In 2000, 84 million pounds of pesticides were sprayed on the 14.4 million
acres of conventional cotton grown in the United States. (Environmental
Protection Agency)
* Each T-shirt made from 100% organic cotton saves one-third of a pound of
synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. (Environmental Protection Agency)
* Sales of clothing made from organic fibers like organic cotton increased
by an average of 11% each year between 1996 and 2000. (Sierra Club)
* More than half of the 22,000 sewing shops in the United States violate
minimum wage and overtime laws. 75% of U.S. garment shops violate safety and
health laws. (Department of Labor)
* Many backpacks and binders are made with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) which
when made or burned for disposal creates dioxins, which are linked to cancer
and developmental and reproductive disorders. Over 14 billion pounds of PVC
are currently produced per year in North America. (Healthy Building Network)
|
|