Indian consumers show high awareness of green products

30-Sep-2014 - Last updated on 30-Sep-2014 at 14:53 GMT

Green products have a good chance of being a hit with Indian consumers after a new survey found that there is high awareness of biobased products in the region.

According to the DuPont Green Living Survey: India, conducted by TNS Global, a majority of Indian consumers are familiar with green products, have confidence that green products are better for the environment, and feel that biobased ingredients enhance the desirability of a product.

"The potential for green and biobased products in India is apparent from this survey," says Dr. Renu Swarup, MD, Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) and senior advisor, Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology.

Environmental sustainability

"We must work together to bridge consumer demands and the ability of new technology innovations to meet their demands, if we are to realize India's seventh millennium development goal of ensuring environmental sustainability."

According to the survey, more than 63% of consumers are familiar with green products and of those, 85% have confidence that they are better for the environment.

"Green and biobased solutions are not only essential to address the challenges of India's growing population, but also an expectation of a younger generation and rising middle class,” adds Vikram Prabhu, regional business director, Asia Pacific, DuPont Industrial Biosciences.

“We are particularly encouraged that there is broad awareness of green products across the country with India's younger generation leading the way."

DuPont surveys

DuPont commissioned the nationwide survey with an objective to better understand awareness and attitudes of Indian consumers toward green and biobased products.

The survey was the third such study by the company with the first in North America (U.S. and Canada) and the second in China.

India's confidence in green products being better for the environment (85%) is higher than other countries surveyed, as previous studies showed China with 70% confidence, Canada with 65% and the United States with 60%.

However, Canada (78%), and the US (76%) lead in overall familiarity with green products over India (63%) and China (43%), the survey said.

The research took place in 12 major Indian cities with 1,270 respondents giving face-to-face interviews.