Previous studies conducted by the Horticultural Research Institute have shown that consumers are willing to pay a bit more for eco-friendly plant containers. Now, a new study recently published in the Journal of Environmental Horticulture puts some numbers on how much consumers value sustainability and the environment.

Plant buyers were willing to pay:

• 16.7 cents more for plants grown using sustainable production methods
• 16.5 cents more for plants grown using energy-saving production methods
• 18.2 cents more for plants in compostable plant containers
• 14.3 cents more for plants in plantable containers
• 15.3 cents more for locally produced plants
• 37.8 cents less for plants produced outside of the U.S.

Purchase decisions were largely based on how much plant buyers considered future versus immediate consequences of their choices. Those who were more concerned with immediate outcomes were not willing to pay a price premium in most cases. However, they were willing to pay a premium for compostable and water-saving ones (both of which offer short-term benefits).