Hartman’s founder, Harvey Hartman, points to well known eco-friendly brand names such as Patagonia, Trader Joe's, Starbucks, Pottery Barn and the Body Shop as the standard bearers of the trend. More recent examples would include brands such as Anthropologic, boutique olive oils, Restoration Hardware, Prada and even Target. Canon, in a bid to become the camera of choice for wildlife photographers, has even managed to make photography equipment nature-friendly with its "Clean Earth Campaign" designed to link the company in consumers' minds to earth-friendly activity. Even pharmaceutical companies now offer either all-natural lines or natural dietary supplements.

According to Demeritt, the green market's gravitation toward natural, organic and eco-friendly products represents an effort by consumers to take control of their health and wellness "in a world that is getting harder to control.” The "wellness" market (an overarching term that includes food supplements, natural drugs, self care products and cosmetics) is growing at an awesome rate of 15 to 20 percent per year, with a current volume of approximately US$ 6.4 billion (7.25B euros).

In a Gallup poll last year between 80 to 90 percent of Americans said they participated in simple eco-conscious behaviors like recycling and reducing energy usage, while 73 percent bought environmentally beneficial products. Demeritt's research indicates that this activity is "not a fad but a return to the idea of authenticity and comfort on the parts of buyers."

A question that comes up again and again to green marketers is whether or not this trend will endure through the upcoming recession. Hartman himself is emphatic on the point: "Do we really think that all those folks with their ultra-light tents and Gore-Tex backpacking equipment are really going to return to Sears for old-fashioned canvas stuff at the next hint of economic downturn? Ditto for coffee: Do we really think that consumers are going to trade Starbucks for Folgers when the next economic recession hits?"

However, according to the Hartman Group, the average green consumer has virtually no brand awareness at all. Therefore, leading companies that have already spent years developing customer confidence in their brand name have, ironically, the most to gain in the trend away from the mass market. As a result, many companies not traditionally associated with the organic lifestyle have nonetheless managed to successfully capitalize on this new consumer base through a policy of product development and the acquisition of small fledgling wellness companies that reappear under the parent company's banner.

Demeritt says the acquisition is “a strategy that many firms are using to enter the natural/organic food marketplace. Companies such as General Mills, Heinz, Kraft, Danone and Kellogg all have acquired or purchased portions of growing natural/organic brands. American Home Products introduced a line of Centrum herbals, Bayer has One-A-Day herbals, and McNeill has specialty supplements such as Aflexa." Colgate-Palmolive has added an herbal brand of toothpaste to its line, and Arm & Hammer Baking soda now has a site devoted to extolling the good-for-the-environment qualities of their product. Given these successes, Demeritt believes that "all companies ought to be acquiring natural product lines."

Marketers wishing to get involved with the trend have learned that the packaging and promotional material that goes with selling eco-friendly products has to be beautiful and refined. Organic product packaging has become simpler and more artful.

In 1995, Clairol's Herbal Essences line, an offshoot from a popular shampoo promoted by Clairol since the 1970s, became the first shampoo company to incorporate art and imagery on the inner back panel of the bottle, creating what they describe as "beautiful, trend setting packaging that consumers enjoyed displaying in their bathrooms." The shampoo's revamped, recycled packaging, herbal and botanical formulas and its support of the conservation organizations were meant to attract a mainly female customer base that "wanted to make a contribution to the planet but who also demanded luxurious, high-performance beauty products." Within one year, Herbal Essences had become the number two hair brand in the US, and Clairol's marketing information refers to Herbal Essences as their "miracle." Today, according to Clairol, somebody uses an Herbal Essences product every fifteen seconds in the US.

Ron Irwin is a brand consultant and writer based in Cape Town, South Africa. He has lectured extensively on brand management at the University of Cape Town School of Management Studies and to local companies. Find him on the web at ronaldirwin.co.za.