STURTEVANT, Wis. — Seventy percent of adults in the United States agree that environmental certification of a company’s facility by a third-party organization such as the U.S. Green Building Council would enhance their opinion of the business, according to a nationwide survey commissioned by Sealed Air’s Diversey business.

Diversey’s study, conducted by telephone by Harris Interactive on behalf of the company, surveyed a random sample of 1,016 U.S. adults regarding the impact of environmental building certifications on Americans’ opinion of a business. Additional key findings include:

• 69 percent of U.S. adults agree that they would prefer to work in a facility that has been certified by a third-party environmental organization;

• 64 percent of U.S. adults agree that they would prefer to patronize a business whose facility is certified by a third-party environmental organization;

• 49 percent of U.S. adults feel better about doing business with a company whose facility is certified by a third-party environmental organization; and

• 48 percent of U.S. adults indicated that third-party environmental certification of a facility improves their image of a company.

“This research demonstrates that Americans understand the value of green building certifications and appreciate businesses that make the investment to provide sustainable, healthy environments,” said John Matthews, senior vice president and chief sustainability officer for the Diversey business. “Consumer perceptions and behaviors are becoming the catalysts for the growing sustainable facility movement.”

Diversey released the findings of the survey during a Web-based program titled “The State and Impacts of Green Buildings.”

The survey also reveals differences by gender, region, and age:

• Women are more likely than men to say they would prefer to work in a facility that meets third-party environmental standards;

• U.S. adults in the West are more likely than those in other regions of the U.S. to say third-party green certifications make them feel better about doing business with or working for a company;

• Younger adults, ages 18-54, are more likely than those ages 55 and older to agree that third-party environmental building certifications enhance their opinion of a business; and

• Younger adults, ages 18-54, are more likely than those ages 55 and older to agree that they would prefer to work in a facility that meets third-party environmental certification standards.

For more information, visit www.diversey.com.

Publication date: 12/12/2011