1. Get Going with Green
Closing the Sustainability Gap

3. Get Going with Green
Closing the Sustainability Gap
Kunal Sinha
Michael Griffiths

4. There is a yawning gap between people’s claimed
and actual sustainable behavior.
At OgilvyEarth, we call it the Sustainability Gap.

5. We

6. are

7. drowning

8. in

9. rhetoric.

10.
Our

11. words

12. and

13. debate

14. have

15. overshadowed

16. our

17.
Get

18. Going

19. with

20. Green
Yet,

21. sustainable

22. behavior

23. holds

24. hope

25. for

26. us

27. as

28. human

30. CONTENTS
What

31. is

32. the

33. Sustainability

34. Gap?

35.
Why

36. focus

37. on

38. individuals

39. &

40. families?

41.
How

42. do

43. people

44. learn

45. about

46. sustainability?

47.
Which

48. consumer

49. segments

50. are

51. most

52. likely

53. to

54.
embrace

55. sustainability?

56.
China’s

57. Greenest

58. Brands

59.
Future

60. pathways

61. for

62. individual

63. &

64. corporate

65.
behavior

66. change
Recommended

67. reading

68.
A

69. word

70. about

71. research

72. design

73. &

74. sampling

75. WHAT IS THE SUSTAINABILITY GAP? W
1

76.
1

77. As

78. much

79. as

80. the

81. Sustainability

82. Gap

83. must

84. be

85. exposed,

86. under-­‐
stood

87. and

88. closed,

89. it

90. comes

91. with

92. an

93. opportunity.

94. When

95. people

96.
claim

97. they

98. are

99. being

100. green,

101. it

102. is

103. because

104. they

105. already

106. have

107. the

108.
knowledge

109. that

110. they

111. need

112. to

113. change

114. their

115. behaviors.

116. They

117. are

118.
concerned,

119. but

120. they

121. feel

122. powerless.

123. They

124. already

125. have

126.
-­‐
longtangs

128. WHY CHINA MATTERS
108

129.
Million tonnes of oil equivalent Tonnes of oil equivalent Per capita
9
2500
8
2000 7
6
1500 5
.

132. 4
1000
3
2
500
1
0 0
1999 2000 2009
Million tonnes of oil equivalent Tonnes of oil equivalent
(Leftscale) Per capita (Rightscale)
US US China
China World
3

133. what

134. China

135. does

136. in

137. the

138. future

139. will

140. have

141. a

142. profound

143. impact

144. on

145.
not

146. only

147. the

148. local

149. environment

150. –

151. as

152. in

153. Wuxi’s,

154. but

155. the

156. global

157.
environment.

160.
.

162.
-­‐
.

164.
4

165.
5

166.
6

169. .

172. Projected increase by 2020
.

174.
Water needs 40%
Wastewater 230-290%
Particulate emissions 40%
Sulfur dioxide emissions 150%
To

175. provide

176. everyone

177. in

178. China

179. with

180. a

181. lifestyle

182. equivalent

183. to

184. When

185. a

186. strong

187. government

188. takes

189. on

190. so

191. much

192. of

193. the

194.
those

195. living

196. in

197. Shanghai,

198. factories

199. will

200. need

201. to

202. manufacture

203.
To provide everyone in China with a lifestyle
-­‐ equivalent to those living in Shanghai, factories
-­‐
will need to manufacture 159 million
refrigerators, 213 million TVs, 233 million
computers, 166 million microwave ovens, 260
million air conditioners & 187 million cars.
Jonathan Watts, ‘When a Billion Chinese Jump.’
8

204. WHY FOCUS ON
INDIVIDUALS & FAMILIES
H

205. -­‐
Power Obligation Action
%
China US China US China US
Government 68.5 19.7 56.7 34.9 42.7 11.8
Corporations 10.6 24.5 25.8 27.8 15.8 16.8
Individuals 23.5 55.8` 17.5 37.3 41.3 71.4
China.

206. The

207. cynicism

208. which

209. characterizes

210. public

211. sustainability

212.
discourse

213. in

214. other

215. parts

216. of

217. the

218. world

219. does

220. not

221. have

222. a

223. hold

224. in

225.
China.

227.
Operational sustainability, cost-cutting and the compulsions of
compliance
-­‐
-­‐
-­‐
that

228. informants

229. feel

230. governments

231. are

232. failing

233. to

234. deliver

235. in

236. their

237.
responsibility

238. for

239. themselves.

242. Supplier or
Impact Areas Weight Product Score
10 Vendor Score
Energy and 9 Above Average
Climate 40% (top 25%)
8
Material 7
Efficiency 20% Walmart
6 Average Assessment
Natural 5 (mid 50%) .

244.
Resources 20%
4
Consumer-facing
People and 3 Below Average Score or Mark
20% 2
Community (lower 25%)
1
and

245. saving

246. cost.

249.
Abide by national & local
law or standards on 77%
environmental protection
Reduce energy
consumption 65%
Reduce pollutant
discharges
62%
.

251.
-­‐

252. in

254.
11

256. The Price of Going Green
400 3200
Regular bicycle vs Bamboo frame
27 138
3 kg of fresh vegetables
18-26 58
8 pack roll of toilet paper
300 750
Double occupancy per weekend night

257. 53% of the respondents
in our quantitative
study said that green
options in the
marketplace were
too expensive.

258. idea

259. of

260. paying

261. a

262. premium

263. for

264. green

265. products.
.

268. If they had more money If they had more time
29% would buy energy 37% would ride a
saving appliances bike to work
42% would use 27% would use
eco-friendly detergents cloth nappies
45% would drive a 42% would save
electricity
hybrid / electric car
38% would hang
their clothes to dry

269. Overcoming the Sense of Entitlement
convenience

270. drove

271. many

272. of

273. their

274. purchase

275. decisions.

276.
13

277. -­‐
-­‐
.

278.
.

280.
14
15

281. HOW DO PEOPLE LEARN
ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY?
Low carbon
Conservation
Being natural
Health
Balance

282. T
Words most associated School based learning
with living a green or
sustainable lifestyle
Low-carbon 18.1%
Conservation 16.3%
Natural 15.5%
Health 14.0%
Balance 7.2% .

284. In

285.
16

287. -­‐
Chinese

288. consumers

289. are

290. confronted

291. by

292. an

293.
they

294. feel

295. they

296. cannot

297. trust .

298.
Certification

302.
Traditional values

303. to

304. the

305. grid.

308. Green Heroes -­‐
-­‐
bridged.

309. WHICH CONSUMER SEGMENTS
ARE MOST LIKELY TO EMBRACE –

310. if

311. the

312.
SUSTAINABILITY? less

313. about

314. idealism,

315. easier

316. and

317. more

318. common,

319. this

320. vast

321.
majority

322. would

323. make

324. the

325. switch.

327.
L
2%
30.5%
19.3%
48.2%

328. Flexible Progressives
Ambitious Futurists
Active Individualists
Ghetto Rebels
Misguided Materialists
Passive Skeptics
Prestige Protectors

329. Flexible Progressives
the

330. most

331. evolved

332. and

333. progressive
share

334. power

335. equally

336.
in

337. the

338. home

340. “One,

341. the

342. government

343. should

344. guide

345. and

346. educate

347. people

348. on

349.
Though

350. brands

351. should

352. empower

353. such

354.
sustainability

355. heroes
great

356. if

357. people

358. in

359. the

360. same

361. compound

362. can

363. share

364. a

365. solar

366. heater

368. consumers

369.
need

370. to

371. know

372. that

373. such

374. heroes

375. are

376. ordinary

377. people

378. too,

379. and

380.
-­‐
shared

381. an

382. equal

383.
responsibility

384. for

385. responding
to

386. one

387. another

388. throughout.

390.
The

391. arrival

392. of

393. the

394. baby

395. has

396. provoked

397. heightened

398.
consciousness

399. of

400. sustainability

401. issues

402. to

403. make

404. their

405. environment

406. green

407. and

408. sustainable,

409. then

410.
the

411. government

412. should

413. do

414. more

415. to

416. educate

417. people

418. about

419. the

421. The

422. grandmother

423. intervenes

424. to

425. demonstrate

426. her

427. knowledge

428.
the

429. government

430. is

431. failing

432. to

433. educate

434. people

435.
a

436. large

437. scale

438. For Flexible Progressives the motivations for sustainability are:
crucial moments in life such as child birth

439. Ambitious Futurists
Zou

440. Mingjun
-­‐
but

441. needs

442.
approval

443. from

444. his

445. peers

446. too.

449. enterprising

450.
-­‐
He

451.
feels

452. powerless

453. -­‐

454. problem

455. solving
driven

456. by

457. quality

458. and

459.
convenience
sense

460. of

461. achievement
future-­‐oriented.

463. acute

464. lack

465. of

466. private

467. space
would

468. like

469. to

470. be

471. an

472. architect

473. or

474. fashion

475. designer
is

476.
has

477. an

479. handiwork

480. hobbies
and

481.
not

482. given

483. as

484. much

485. thought

486. to

487. environmental

488.
sustainability

489. as

490. she

491. suggests

492. The motivations for sustainability for Ambitious
Futurists are:
sustainable

493.
development”

494. is

495. about

496. sustaining

497. life

498. per

499. se

500. Active Individualists
stand

501. behind

502. her

503. ideals

504. in

505. a

506. discussion.

508. economy

509. remains

510. primary
-­‐
not

511. afraid

512.
to

513. lead

514. others

515. to

516. “correct”

517. their

518. behavior
no

519. inconsistency

520. between

521.
her

522. ideals

523. and

524. the

525. role

526. of

527. the

528. government

529. in

531. organize

532. sustainability

533.
The motivations for sustainability for Active
Individualists are:
We must ensure that their fragile ideals are sustained
in practical action and guard against idealistic fervor
superseding effectiveness.

534. Ghetto Rebels
Yuan
Responsibility

535. for

536.
environmental

537. problems

538. lies

539. with

540. rich

541. people.

543. He

544. would

545. like

546. to

547. see

548. strict

550.
The

551. opportunity

552. for

554.
brands

555. here

556. is

557. to

558. counter

559. fatalism

560. by

561. providing

562. responsibility.

563.
agency

564. to

565. do

566. anything

567. about

568. it be

569. encouraged

570. to

571. see

572. that

573. the

574. problem

575. doesn’t

576. end

577. with

578.
the

579. remit

580. of

581. the

582. rich.

585. Sun

586. Yi
brotherhood

587. in

588.
talented

589. Ghetto Rebels could engage with sustainability if we:
disaffected yet talented youth in the community
them to do things together
for rich people
hands.

591. Misguided Materialists
“Green”

593. in

594.
personal

595. agency

596.
but

597. they

598. are

600. groping

601. for

602. answers

603. really
through.

606. brands

607. must

608. counter

609. the

610.
even

611. those

612. people

613. working

614. in

615.
about

616. the

617. concept

618. of

619.
sustainability

621. there

622. are

623. toys

624. absolutely

625. everywhere
display

626. dynamic
.

628.
hoarding

629. is

630. a

631. problem
-­‐

632. needs

633. heroes is

634. not

635. a

636. hero

637.
himself
danzi

638. xiao
power

639. of

640. virility
hero-­‐worshipper
highly

641.
luohou driven

642. by

643. Su’s

644.
mother

646. changed.

649.
What will motivate Misguided Materialists to embrace
sustainable behavior?
unused products away.
on social consciousness.
underlie hoarding
“green” is a just an aesthetic.

650. Passive Skeptics
She

651. has

652. no

653. idea

654. about

655. sustainability
doesn’t

656. seem

657. very

658.
bothered

659. about

660. this
But

661. nothing

662. about

663.
this

664. inspired

665. her

666. transfer

667. responsibility

668.
target

669. the

670. group
and

671. changed.

673.
distrusts

674. the

675. law

676. and

677. its

678. enforcement
and

679. reduce

680. them

681. to

682. a

683. mindless

684. ask
Wang

685. Di

686. sheer

687. frugality

688.
means

689. that

690. they

691. are

692. sustainable

693. in

694. some

695. respects
obsessed

696. with

697. preserving

698. what

700. accepts

701. what

702. she

703. has.

707.
her

708. responses angered

709. by

710. students

711. who

712. spend

713. their

714.
parent’s

715. money

716. recklessly

717. and

718. therefore

719. don’t

720. understand

721. the

722.
value

723. of

724. it
house.

726.
Gu

727. Yifan
his

729. by

730. his

731. parents
for

732. anything
in

733. China!

735. do

736. not

737. seek

738.
(perhaps

739. also,

740. though

741. not

742. necessarily

743. exclusively,

744. with

745. an

746.
It is possible to engage the Passive Skeptics with
sustainability by:
pressure, and group dynamics.

747. Prestige Protectors
them

748. by

749. their

750. parents

751. luxury
“THE

752. MORE

753. THE

754. BETTER”

757. everything

758. is

759. given

760. to

761.
them
handed

762. to

763. her

764. too.

766. privilege

767. means

768. that

769. Chen

770. fails

771. to

772. appreciate

773. the

774.
value

775. of

776. things felt

777. “forced

778. to

779. adapt

780. to

781. energy-­‐saving

782. by

783.
rules

784. and

785. orders
Though

786. he

787. can

788. recall

789. examples

790. Chen

791. also

792. credits

793.
then

794. cleaned

795. up

796. their

797. act,

798. neither

799. he

800. nor

801. his

802. wife

803. seem

804. sustainable

805. agenda.

806. “ They

807. are

808. not

809. associated

810. with

811. economic

812.
gain

813. which

814. makes

815. them

816. more

817. reliable

818. and

819. credible.”

820.
his

821. life

822. does

823. not

824. presently

825.
accord

826. with

827. “the

828. green

829. life”
Thus,

830. sustainability

831. is

832. confused

833. with

834.
China’s

835. desire

836. to

837. be

838. held

839. as

840. a

841. model

842. of

843. form

844. and

845. order

846. for

848. an

849.
underdeveloped

850. world.

853. -­‐

855. polished

856. knowledge

857. of

858.
sustainability,

859. but in

860.
the

861. abstract

862. without

863. applying

864. this

865. to

866. her

867. personal

868. or

869. family

871. The

872. challenge

873. for

874. the

875. sustainability

876. agenda
take

877. priority

878. over

879. the

880. task

881. itself.

882.
those

883.
closest

884. to

885. the

886. State

887. are

888. most

889. distant

890. from

891. sustainability.

892.
How could we possibly engage the Prestige Protectors?
government, not just in policy but in practice.
way to build an identity and future.
as a means of enhancing their prestige.

893. CHINA’S GREENEST BRANDS
A Hard to be Green Easy to be Green
79 Food
48
Financial
-63
Automobile
37
Construction
36
Technology
-75
Home Applicances
37
Apparel
50
Energy & Utility
-57
Airline
53 Hotels
-68 Beauty
-81 Logistics
59 Supermarkets
56 Sportswear
-100 -50 0 50 100
associated

894. with

895. their

896. use,

897. are

898. usually

899. thought

900. of

901. as

902. not

903. being

904.
green
those

905. sectors

906. which

907. are

908. associ-­‐
ated

909. with

910. energy,

911. fuel

912. or

913. natural

914. resource

915. use,

916. or

917. emissions

920.
when

921. sustainable

922. behavior

923. is

924. likely

925. to

926. result

927. in

928.
the

929. company

930. or

931. brand

932. which

933. shows

934. them

935. how

936. to

937. do

938. it.

942. Rank Company/Brand Green Rank Company/Brand Green Rank Company/Brand Green
Score Score Score
1 Boeye(Chinese Kindle) 60.24 15 ICBC 47.51 29 State Grid 41.37
2 Joyo Amazon 58.23 16 BYD 47.16 30 China Mobile 40.48
3 Baidu 58.16 17 Ping’an 47.13 31 Jeanswest 40.31
4 Taobao 57.83 18 Siemens 46.98 32 China Unicom 40.14
5 Mengniu 56.99 19 Midea 46.98 33 Su Ning 39.76
6 Haier 55.52 20 China Life 45.59 34 Nike 39.43
7 Yili 55.15 21 Fed Ex 45.45 35 UPS 39.13
8 Arawana 50.74 22 Gree 45.20 36 Nokia 39.12
9 Xinhua 50.60 23 Li Ning 45.16 37 Adidas 37.63
10 Agricultural Bank 50.19 24 Walmart 42.97 38 Canon 37.41
11 Apple 50.00 25 Lenovo 42.86 39 Sinoenergy 36.61
12 China Merchants Bank 49.04 26 Dell 42.86 40 Changhong 36.30
13 Bank Of China 48.66 27 China Postal 41.50 41 Hualian 35.74
14 Tsingtao 48.16 28 Da Bao 41.47 42 Gome 34.94
Tachnology Home Appliances
Retail Logistics
Foods Sportswear/Apparel
Media Slincare & Cosmetics
Financial Services Energy & Utiliyt THE TOP 42 GREEN BRANDS IN CHINA

943. brands

944. within

945. the

946. sector

947. that

948. have

949. innovated

950. with

951. greener

954. .

956.
opportunity

957. in

958. itself!

961.
FUTURE PATHWAYS FOR INDIVIDUAL
& CORPORATE BEHAVIOR CHANGE
S

962. 1. Mainstream, not model
can

963. be

964. deemed

965. sustainable,

966. and

967. these

968. are

969. what

970. brands

971. could

973.
Our

974. research

975. shows

976. that

977. there

978. are

979. plenty

980. of

981. such

982. mainstream

984. o
2. Products, not just policy

985. 3. Everyday, not just Earth Day

986. of

987. decisions

988. made

989. by

990. many

991. individuals

992. on

993. a

994. personal

995. level.

996.
commitment

997. over

998. tokenism

999. are

1000. what

1001. will

1002. help

1003. close

1004. the

1005.
sustainability

1006. gap.

1009.
4. Personal, not planet

1010. by

1011. giving

1012.
would

1013. be

1014. able

1015. to

1016. nudge

1017. them

1018. closer

1019. to

1020. the

1021.
desired

1022. behavior.
18

1023. 5. Incentive, not Invective

1024. 6. Choice, not constraint
.

1026.
.

1028. 7. Dialogue, not decree
Closing

1029. the

1030. sustainability

1031. gap

1032. calls

1033. for

1034.
.

1035.
.

1040. 8. Conscious, not conspicuous

1041. might

1042.
just

1043. reverse

1044. the

1045. trend

1048. .

1049.
The

1050. Green

1051. Long

1052. March
-­‐
9. Collaborate, not confront

1054. why

1055. the

1056. sustainability

1057. gap

1058. exists

1059. is

1060. because,

1061. just

1062. as

1063. people

1064. are

1065.
about

1066. to

1067. embrace

1068. green,

1069. a

1070. counter

1071. argument

1072. prevents

1073. them

1077. OgilvyEarth believes that China will be a
better place if brands and corporations
acted on the insights that Get Going with
Green has uncovered.

1078. A WORD ON RESEARCH DESIGN AND
SAMPLING
W
Ethnography

1079. -­‐

1080. Quantitative Data Collection
Analysis and Interpretation

1082. Implementation Researcher comments

1084. Recommended reading Acknowledgments

1086.
Development

1087. and

1088. the

1089. Environment.

1090. Business

1091. Council

1092. for

1096. The key players in ‘Get Going with Green’: Research

1097. partner

1098. (China):

1099.
OgilvyEarth Enovate
www.ogilvyearth.com

1100.
www.enovatechina.com

1101.
Ogilvy

1102. Discovery
For more information and advice on how to
Get Going with Green, please contact:
Kunal Sinha
Chief Knowledge Officer
Ogilvy & Mather China
Team Leader - OgilvyEarth
kunal.sinha@ogilvy.com
+86 21 2405 1990
www.ogilvy.com