The concentrated pouch is not available in the U.S. It is the company’s assessment that saving a few pennies is not enough incentive to make American consumers worry about the added inconvenience. The company believes that the U.S. population as a whole will not make this small change even if it brings with it great environmental benefits.
The argument relies on U.S. consumers being habitual, confused and lazy. As for being habitual, it seems that the habit of making orange juice from frozen concentrate wasn’t too much for the American public. In fact, frozen concentrate orange juice was the best-seller for four decades. And dealing with a chunk of frozen juice is definitely more work than pouring a pouch and water into a bottle.
As for being confused, there could be some merit to that claim. There are so many different ecolabels these days touting a variety of different environmental benefits. Figuring out which are the truly eco friendly products can be overwhelming.
As for being lazy… Is a financial incentive the only cause for shifting buying patterns? Will consumers really only buy what’s significantly cheaper or more convenient? If you’re a consumer who would consider buying concentrated refill pouches for all of their environmental benefits, you still have options even if not from SC Johnson. One option from Method Products Inc. in San Francisco, CA is their Terracyclable refills from dish soap to laundry detergent. A second option from Green Ocean in Tampa, FL is the Multi Task Cleaner GreenPouch. Two companies banking on the U.S. consumer having enough concern about the environment to go through the inconvenience of tearing a pouch open and mixing with water.
