BELLEVUE, WA "“ June 20, 2008 "“ A purchase is not just a purchase when consumers believe they are "voting" with their dollars. Approximately 30% of U.S. consumers believe their purchases have greater impact on society than their votes, according to The Hartman Group, a consumer insights and consulting firm based in Bellevue, Washington. With this in mind, consumers are becoming increasingly aware of who (and what) they are empowering with each swipe of the debit card.

While 93% of American consumers desire to live sustainably, the majority struggle with how to do so. Further complicating the picture, companies face challenges in understanding what factors consumers base their sustainability purchases or behaviors on. To help bring into focus the complex picture of sustainability - how it relates to consumers' everyday lives and translates into purchases - The Hartman Group is announcing a planned new syndicated study, Sustainability Outlook 2008.

"Sustainability is a massive business opportunity. This is driven partly by the cultural shift of consumers wanting to align themselves with companies that share their values. However, there is still a gap between industry initiatives and consumer understanding. Our goal with this study is to provide our clients with the meaningful consumer conversations to close that gap," said The Hartman Group's Director of Sustainability, Alison Worthington.

Sustainability Outlook 2008 will be the definitive roadmap plotting consumer behavior and purchases in this new, evolving culture of sustainability. It will examine how consumer perception of companies, brands, products and practices affect consumer behavior. The Hartman Group is actively seeking study sponsors. Sponsors receive results detailing the key drivers of sustainability for their specific product category. It will get specific around notions of where price, packaging and messaging are headed and provide clients with actionable recommendations moving forward. Study sponsorship has significant cost and research benefits. Sponsorship is scheduled to close in July 2008.

"With Sustainability Outlook 2008, we will go beyond media and marketing hype by taking a deep dive into the key product categories tied to companies’ corporate economic, environmental, and social responsibility objectives and long-term sustainability strategic planning," said Laurie Demeritt, Hartman Group President & COO.

About the Study

The Hartman Group’s Sustainability Outlook 2008 will be fielded in the third quarter of 2008 with results available in the fourth quarter and will consist of a national quantitative survey combined with qualitative ethnographic research as well as extensive data mining of Hartman Group intellectual capital built on 20 years in gathering and analyzing consumer behavior data in the environmental, health and wellness and organic products and retailing arenas.

Additional information about Sustainability Outlook 2008 can be found at The Hartman Group's website - www.hartman-group.com.

About The Hartman Group, Inc.

The Hartman Group, Inc. is one of the most influential, respected and trusted providers of consumer insight and understanding in the U.S. The Hartman Group is a full-service strategic consultancy specializing in understanding consumer lifestyle behavior and how that behavior leads to purchase. For the past 20 years, companies have relied on The Hartman Group to produce highly successful outcomes across a range of challenging research objectives in health and wellness, sustainability, branding, retailing and many more business arenas.

Hartman Group, The

Hartman Group, The

The Hartman Group, Inc. is one of the most influential, respected and trusted providers of consumer insight and understanding in the U.S. The Hartman Group is a full-service strategic consultancy specializing in understanding consumer lifestyle behavior and how that behavior leads to purchase. For the past 20 years, companies have relied on The Hartman Group to produce highly successful outcomes across a range of challenging research objectives in health and wellness, sustainability, branding, retailing and many more business arenas.

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