This research by Lippincott on behalf of The Climate Group and Sky amongst 1,000 consumers was carried out in the UK and US. It concludes that there is a receptive market for environmental products with consumers both positively choosing brands based on their environmental credentials and rejecting those with bad practices. It also suggests that there is still an opportunity to own space in the sustainability area since few consumers can name a brand leading on climate change. A combination of approaches is recommended from rational demonstration, to emotional involvement and respectful facilitation.

  • Campaigners - deeply committed but require supporting evidence to trust
  • Optimists - committed but want to feel good
  • Followers - partially committed and want to look good
  • Confused - undecided and want clarity on how and why
  • Unwilling - accept climate change as an issue but not prepared to act
  • Rejecters - actively reject both the issue and taking action

www.theclimategroup.com

Henley / Guardian

This segmentation was a collaboration between the Henley Centre and The Guardian. It aims to help marketers understand what type of messages to use with each group and those that will work across groups.

The segments are:

  • Onlookers - unengaged and largely uninterested in environmental issues
  • Conveniently conscious - not willing to make sacrifices, environment is a secondary consideration
  • Positive Choosers - willing to choose well where they can, but still won't sacrifice if alternatives involve a compromise
  • Committed (comprising principled pioneers and activists) - environmentalism is part of their identify
DEFRA

A comprehensive body of work that aims to affect pro-environment behaviour change (primarily carbon reduction) amongst the general public, using 'willingness vs ability to act' and 'hard/easy vs high/low impact' as its conceptual framework.

  • Positive Greens - pro greens who are confidently knowledgeable and most active
  • Waste Watchers - green behaviours are driven by a desire to reduce waste
  • Concerned Consumers - broadly pro environmental attitudes though more likely to mitigate than compromise
  • Sideline Supporters - latent concern about the issues has not yet translated into action
  • Cautious Participants - concerned but quick to identify barriers and excuses to action
  • Stalled Starters - negative views about the environment with more pressing personal issues to combat
  • Honestly Disengaged - detached and disinterested in environmental concerns

www.defra.gov.uk

Energy Saving Trust

The Energy Saving Trust segmentation looks at (a) the biggest users of energy and (b) those most likely to act. The segmentation is a composite of household energy bills data and car types by postcode that is cross referenced with pro environmental attitudes. The segments are:

  • Environmentally Mature
  • Educated Advocates
  • Discerning Elders
  • Comfortable Conservatives
  • Britain Today
  • Restful Retirement
  • Driving Dependency
  • Financially Burdened
  • Ethnic Tradition
  • Environmentally Indifferent
Cultural Dynamics

A segmentation system based on Maslow's hierarchy of human needs. Not directly environmental in construction, but touches truths about our psychological make up that enables it to have widespread applications, including understanding what motivates people to make greener choices. It identifies three major groups across society, each with sub-segments:

  • Settlers - driven by the need for security and predictability
  • Prospectors - outwardly directed who need their actions to be recognised by others
  • Pioneers - self determining and directed by their own inner compass

www.cultdyn.co.uk
 

Same, same but different

Not all of your customers are the same, but then they're not all totally different either. Segmentation can be an invaluable tool to help you understand who your customers are and what they want. Customers can be segmented in any number of ways, so the trick is finding the method that best suits your purposes. Here's a summary of some of the environmental segmentations that have already been developed, to get you thinking.

Hive Segmentation

Hive's Segmentation is based on a quantitative online survey of the UK population, looking at the links between attitudes and motivations and how these drive behaviours. Uniquely, it can be overlaid onto a consumer base to identify its 'greenness'. This will help inform marketing decisions from campaign messaging through to targeting and new product development. The eight segments are:

Super Green Icon Super Green - consistently and coherently the most green in both attitudes and behaviours. Leaders in terms of green brand uptake.
Empowered Green Icon Empowered Green - well informed and confident self-starters. They support the brands that enable individuals to act.
Optimistic Green Icon Optimistic Green - they are confused about what to do and so look optimistically to the international community and technology to solve climate change.
Followers Icon Followers - widespread but sporadic green behaviours are spurred by peer pressure promoting 'seen to be green' behaviours.
Average Joes Icon Average Joes - average in every way this group occupies the neutral space between the non-believers and the truly green groups.
Pessimistic Icon Pessimistic - confused about environmental issues and cynical about companies getting involved.
Money Savers Icon Money savers - committed energy savers whose motivation is simply to save money with little engagement in environmental issues.
Rejectors Icon Rejecters - often rejecting climate change as an issue. With feelings ranging from scepticism to boredom, consequently they take very few green actions.