SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. —
Outlaw Consulting surveyed 100 of its trendsetter panelists about their favorite green brands and came up with an eclectic list of the top 15 products, services and retailers that Generation Y consumers perceive as being the most eco-friendly.
The favorite 15 are
Whole Foods,
Trader Joe’s,
Toyota,
Honda,
Google,
Aveda,
Zipcar,
American Apparel,
Ikea,
7th Generation,
Apple,
the Body Shop,
Starbucks,
Netflix and
Method, according to the San Francisco-based consulting firm.
The respondents to the survey live in Miami, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Most are 21 to 29 years old and are considered trendsetters for being early spotters and early adopters of the latest in fashion, music and nightlife.
“These are trendsetters in image categories ... not necessarily in issues of sustainability,” said Outlaw Consulting in releasing its findings in its online newsletter. “While they are motivated to help the cause and are striving to educate themselves, they are far from experts. Our aim was to discover which companies are going beyond the niche segment of hard-core Greenies to win over influential Gen Y's.”
In making their selections, those surveyed told Outlaw Consulting that qualities among the standouts included trailblazers that went green in a big way long before their competitors, brands with clean, minimalist design and products in categories that are key to some of their basic needs — like things they eat, wear or put on their bodies.
Outlaw Consulting specializes in qualitative research on trendsetters and members of the Gen Y set, which encompasses those born from 1979 to 1993.
