For successful advancement of eco-friendly products to the market it is necessary to investigate and consider influence of factors of development of environmental needs which are classified by the following criteria (fig. 6.1). Let us consider them in detail.
Depending on the level of occurrence and influence factors of development of environmental needs are divided into macroeconomic and microeconomic.
Macroeconomic factors include strengthening of the international and state environmental standards and production specifications, expansion of the list and increase of rates of green taxes etc. Such measures increase the number of economic management subjects that raise ecological compatibility of their products. Thereby increases the quantity of economic subjects and ultimate consumers who are potential customers of green goods.
Microeconomic factors include provision of economic management subjects with information on existence and characteristics of environmental technologies and eco-friendly products. Insufficient efficiency and incomplete coverage of various spheres of economic activities are often peculiar to informational support of economic management subjects.
Depending on the nature of occurrence and influence factors of development of environmental needs are divided into social, economic, political and administrative [44].
Social factors of development of environmental needs are influence of a society, of mass media on a state of affairs in the area of preservation of the environment and protection of health of the population. Mass media report on the facts of harmful influence on environment by subjects of economic activity as well as on taking measures to struggle against it, promote growth of ecology supply.
The group of economic factors of development of environmental needs include an economic gain from consumption of green goods by both legal and physical persons, in comparison with production which have a similar functional component and lacking similar environmental component of efficiency.
Production and consumption of eco-friendly goods as directly as indirectly promotes increase of economic and financial indicators of activity of the enterprises.
Direct influence is shown in a lower capital intensity of acquisition and use of green products in comparison with environment-unfriendly analogues.
Fig. 6.1. Classification of factors of environmental needs development.
Factors of environmental needs development. By nature and duration of the influence Long-term Short-term
By the level of ocurence and influence Macroeconomic Microeconomic
By the source of ocurence and influence Atropogenic Technogeneous
By the area of ocurence and influence Production Commercial Consumer
By the geographic area of ocurence and influence International Nationwide Regional
By the nature of ocurence and influence Social Economic Direct influence Indirect influence Political Administrative
Indirect influence of use of green goods to increase economic efficiency of economical activity consists in decrease in expenses on compensation of the harm done to environment, reduction of environmental fees, and penalty financial sanctions as well. The necessity of working out of a technique to turn ecological efficiency into economical one becomes obvious, that will allow creating at the consumer complete idea about advantage of buying of green goods and will show plainly advantages of eco-friendly products.
The group of political factors of development of environmental includes political orientation of the party in power and having the majority of voices in parliament. Control of the majority of voices, and also work of representatives of the green party on key position in executive bodies should promote greening not only of industrial but also of nonproduction sphere of human activity, namely - of the area of governing a state. The intensity of industrial area greening depends mostly on administrative system greening as the majority of environmental initiatives remain unrealized because officials of all levels are not interested in their realization. The growth of legislative influence of environmentally focused political forces should create favorable macroeconomic conditions for self-development of spheres of manufacture and consumption of green goods. The political factor of efficiency of promotion of green goods to the market is characterized by high potential of nonfinancial assistance to increase demand for eco-friendly products.
The administrative factors of development of environmental needs are practice of imposing of administrative penalties and bearing of the criminal liability by the heads of enterprises causing harm to environment on condition that the use of green products can lower or completely neutralize eco-destructive influence. That is, if environmental pollution is not the only possible alternative. Practice of laying responsibility on individuals doing harm to environment by making such decisions, - an effective tool to increase demand for green goods since personal interest in search and purchase of such products is obvious.
Depending on the nature and duration of influence the factors of environmental needs development are divided into long-term and short-term [43].
The important long-term factor of development of environmental needs is inclusion of economy greening in the list of priority directions of country development, registered in government activity programs in long-term prospect. If at the state level the goal to lower pollution up to a certain level and to achieve a certain quality of production in the future has been officially defined then economic subjects have an additional stimulus for greening of their activity under the influence of powerful nationwide economic tools.
The short-term factor of environmental needs development is considered a
effective means of stimulation of demand on green goods is a necessary condition of their effective promotion to the market. However the advertising campaign influences only in the short-term period and in a certain time it should be repeated as its positive influence will be neutralized gradually owing to campaigns of other production reducing costs of potential customers.
Depending on a geographic area of occurrence and influence factors of development of environmental needs are divided into international, nationwide and regional.
The world community concern about the threat of global ecological catastrophe has led the problem of greening of production of enterprises at the international level. The international environmental organizations are doing all they can to exert both administrative and economic influence on economic management subjects in all countries of the world in a direction of stimulation of their sustainable development.
The innovative component of green products may potentially provide to any country competitive advantage in the international market. Production and consumption of such products in a country opens access to many domestic goods on foreign markets and raise its international prestige.
The nationwide factors of development of environmental needs are formation and realization of government programs on complex restructing of a national economy of a country for the purpose of its greening.
The group of regional factors of development of environmental needs includes environmental initiatives of local bodies of executive and legislative power, presence of regional economic and social specificity.
Depending on the level of occurrence and influence factors of development of environmental needs are divided into industrial, commercial and consumer i.e.
demand for eco-friendly products can be caused by industrial interests, commercial profit or needs of customers.
Industrial factors of development of environmental needs are defined by industrial interests which structure includes all complex of technical, economic and ecological requirements of the modern production which satisfaction is possible only by using green products.
Commercial factors of environmental needs development are defined by commercial benefit from realization of intermediation and offering of various services on all way of promotion of green goods from the manufacturer to the end user.
Consumer factors of development of environmental needs are defined by the needs of the population the latter include aspiration to preserve one’s health and that of relatives, concern about the next generations.
Depending on the source of occurrence and influence factors of development of environmental needs are divided into anthropogenic and technogeneous [44].
Anthropogenic factors of environmental needs development are defined by interests and needs of the person, consequences of his economic activity.
Technogeneous factors of development of environmental needs development include achievements of scientific and technical advance that make green gods more accessible to large-scale production and consumption, and also promote support of economically effective production.
The influence of the aforementioned factors leads to the change of requirements and needs of consumers, and also generates new requirements and requests. Potential possibilities of their occurrence and manifestation should be traced and analyzed all the time.
Owing to the action of multidirectional factors development trends of the green products market in toto and its separate segments are changing. Market research are necessary to reveal them.
For revealing of already existing environmental needs it is possible to use traditional tools of marketing research. To determine potential environmental needs one ought to analyze in addition environmental problems which cause them (a modern condition and tendencies). So, the idea about the need for such green services as recycling and processing of waste, it is possible to get from current statistical data published in annual regional and national reports on the environment condition and other editions where it is possible to get data on a status and tendencies of regional problems with other kinds of pollution.
Some idea about environmental needs gives research of the attitude of the population to environmental problems (see table 9.1) - the higher consumers’ concern about environmental problems the higher their potential demand for eco-friendly goods.
Certain specificity is inherent in green innovations that consist in that that working out of green goods (especially those based on latest achievements of science and technology, results of basic research and discoveries) first of all deals with creation of such products analogues of which did not exist before. It is caused by the following reasons [29]:
• needs and customers’ requirements, new products meant to satisfy, were met earlier in a different way (the first kind of innovations);
• needs, new products meant to satisfy, did not occur earlier (the second kind of innovations);
One can not use conventional methods of market research for that of green products. One should apply such methods to research the needs for new goods as:
behavior (according to market transformation of economy); situational modelling and simulation of consumers’ behavior both at the present time and the future (for example, during the analysis of possibilities of conversion use of military technologies); the analysis of tendencies of scientific and technological advance development, of changes of environmental, technological, economic, legal, social, political, cultural and other components of economic management environment [35, 98]. Distinctive feature of these methods is that they operate with probabilistic estimates of future needs and requirements, possible reactions of consumers to new products and new ways of their selling.
One should note that the knowledge of factors of development of environmental needs allows the enterprises to behave more confidently in the market to which constant changes are peculiar.