Consumers are telling us that being green is important to them; at least more and more are saying so. It's up to them to prove it by actually choosing - and paying for - environmentally friendly products rather than just giving lip service. In the meantime, making recycled and sustainably sourced papers available, implementing earth-friendly production methods, and looking for alternatives for carbon reduction are good business. And will mean that when buyers walk the talk, you'll be giving them what they want. Ad Age, in an article by Nat Ives, references a Hearst survey that shows 43% would pay more for titles that use recycled paper.
Magazine readers are concerned about the environment and are already taking steps to live more sustainably, according to a survey of Hearst Magazines subscribers aged 13 and up. Almost four out of five respondents agreed that everyone should care about being eco-friendly, the survey found. Just 43% of respondents agreed with the statement "If I learned that a product I regularly use was not eco-friendly, I would stop buying it." At the same time, 43% said they would pay more for a magazine printed on recycled paper, while 39% said they would pay more for a magazine committed to eco-friendly practices.