A Consumer’s Choice Towards Sustainability: What Matters Most?

by Ragini Vidyashankar

Sustainability: a change required to better our chances in saving the planet. Among the many environmental challenges we face, air pollution stands out as one of the primary drivers of climate change. Transportation has emerged as one of the biggest contributors to air pollution, making the shift toward electric vehicles an essential solution. However, while electric vehicles represent a path forward, why has the broader transition to sustainable alternatives been slower than expected?

In my conversation with Ranjita Ravi, co-founder of Orxa Energies, she emphasized the importance of creating sustainable alternatives that more or less mirror their conventional counterparts. A one-to-one replacement of a sustainable alternative that resembles its conventional counterpart in appearance and function. The greater the similarity, the more likely is consumer acceptance due to familiarity.

The principle has been clearly illustrated in the recent adoption of bio enzymes as alternatives to conventional cleaning supplies in many Indian households. The sustainable cleaning products now available in the market closely resemble their traditional counterparts in packaging, contents, and even fragrance. Initially, however, this was not the case. The similarity reduced the ‘friction’ in consumer acceptance. Orxa Energies applied this principle by maintaining familiar control layouts in their electric motorcycles, such as keeping the brake on the right side and gear controls on the left, matching conventional motorcycles. For experienced riders, this design consideration eliminates the learning curve and enhances user experience during the transition to electric vehicles.

During the conversation she also highlighted that even if there exists product similarity, the price point also proves to be a crucial factor in adoption rates : an economic incentive. The more economically competitive a sustainable alternative is, the faster is the consumer adoption rate. This is particularly evident in India’s last-mile logistics, where delivery personnel have readily adopted electric two-wheelers. While the decision may not have been primarily motivated by environmental concerns, the significant fuel cost savings made the switch compelling. This demonstrates how economic benefits can drive sustainable choices, even when environmental consciousness isn’t the primary motivator.

She concludes the conversation by highlighting that the transition to sustainability isn’t a string of singular dramatic events. Rather, it depends on making sustainable choices, the easy and default option: well-designed, readily available, and efficiently marketed products. Over time there is an obvious impact in people’s lives and in conjunction, the environment.