In January, Washington DC implemented a 5 cent tax on each plastic bag distributed by retailers throughout the city. During a one-week introduction to the new law, a number of grocery chains distributed reusable grocery bags to ensure their branded bags would be seen across the city in the coming months and also served as a way for lower income residents to pick up several of the cost-saving bags at no cost.
As a result of this law, plastic bag use plummeted from 22.5 million bags a month to just 3 million. (Side note: the $150,000 and counting generated by this tax is earmarked to fund Anacostia River clean up.) People increasingly can be seen carrying tote bags of various sizes and shapes when running errands or grocery shopping.
The law brought about an almost instantaneous shift in behavior, which could be as much about peer pressure and status as it is about saving a nickel here and there. A paper in the March issue of the Journal of Personality & Social Psychology reported on a study of factors influencing more environmentally-aware purchasing behavior. “Supporting the notion that altruism signals one’s willingness and ability to incur costs for others’ benefit, status motives increased desire for green products when shopping in public (but not private)…”
It’s not enough to be personally aware of the impact your greener actions have within your community, you’re more apt to make the more pro-environment decision when other people can see you.
Which makes me wonder about corporate America. Given the fundamental lack of transparency that leads to epic crises like the Wall Street melt down and the mine safety debacle in West Virginia, would the same forces at work on individuals work on corporations. Could consumer demand of greater transparency across the providers of goods and services throughout every industry sector, yield more community-centric corporations that consider the social and environmental costs when making business decisions?
(Hat Tip David Berreby of Big Think)
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