Recycled products are more attractive to customers for many reasons. As the population increases and the availability of natural resources decreases, people begin to look for options that are environmentally friendly. With that in mind, they prefer to purchase from those companies that offer products made with recycled goods.
Many consumers specifically look to see if the item they are looking for contains recycled materials before they make a purchase. They are willing to go out of their way to find a company that uses at least some percentage of recycled materials in their manufacturing process. Buying recycled items conveys a message that the purchaser wants to play a role in helping to save our planet and maintain a healthy environment for future generations. Many people are willing to pay more in order to help with this effort.
Recycling keeps millions of tons of waste out of landfills – another area of concern for many consumers. There isn’t any more land becoming available, and it is critical to reduce our waste production. In addition, as the cost of oil and other raw materials continue to rise, there are even more incentives to purchase goods made of at least some part recycled material. The energy used to make goods such as paper, plastic, aluminum, steel and iron is much less than in the production of new goods. Increasing the rate of recycling of those materials can play a big part in saving energy which can allow our country to be closer to energy independence rather than our current dependence on foreign sources of energy. This incentive is critical to many consumers in their purchasing decision making process.
Many people like the idea of passing on items that they no longer have an interest in, but that are still usable. Consignment and thrift stores are growing exponentially, and many people love the unique and attractive items that then can find and use. They would much rather purchase a used item that’s one of a kind than a cheap mass produced item. This gives them peace of mind that they are helping save the environment and the merchant is able to increase their business as consumers’ preferences for recycled goods continue to increase.
Whatever the reason that recycling is important to an individual consumer, a merchant that offers recycled goods should see their business grow as the attractiveness of recycling continues to increase around the world.