The good news is that consumers trust companies more now than they did in 2011. The bad news is that they still don’t trust them very much.

But before you despair, Americans do have very clear advice for how brands can rebuild this relationship.

According to Edelman’s Annual Trust Barometer, 58% of consumers believe that firms are trustworthy, up from 53% in 2011. However, there is a huge gulf between ratings for small and large organizations. 86% of Americans trust small companies, while only 55% trust big ones.

Consumers’ distrust of business shows up in how they respond to advertising and PR. The majority needs to hear a fact about a company 3 to 5 times before they believe it. And, they are much more likely to believe brand information that comes from an academic, a “person like them,” or an average company employee, rather than from the CEO.

What will it take for businesses to regain consumers’ trust? Americans' top five suggestions are:

• Listen to customers
• Treat employees well
• Place customers ahead of profits
• Take action and responsibility when a crisis occurs
• Be transparent and ethical in business practices

We’ll check next year’s Trust Barometer to see if brands follow consumers’ advice and consumers respond positively.

71% of Americans think about the environmental impact of items before they make purchases. That’s up 5 percentage points since 2008. Even better, 90% of those who buy products with eco-friendly disposal options intend to use them.

Unfortunately those plans usually do not translate into reality. 70% of consumers admit they do not use green products in the way that minimizes their impact. And, 68% say they don’t dispose of products in the most environmentally friendly way.

Why is there a gap between intentions and actions?

The top explanation, cited by 33% of consumers, is that they don’t have the necessary resources. Their community does not have recycling facilities, they don’t have special bins, etc. An additional 19% say they don’t know the correct way to dispose of many products. 10% don’t make it a priority, and 8% just don’t have the time.

Almost three-quarters of consumers wish companies would provide more information about green products throughout their lifecycle, with the majority looking for more information via product packages or the Internet.

If you’d like to read more about the gap between green thoughts and behaviors, here’s the link to the research from Cone Communications. http://www.conecomm.com/2013-green-gap-trend-tracker-1

More and more experts have shifted from talking about how to prevent climate change to discussing how to deal with its inevitable effects.

Pricewaterhouse Coopers recently released a report detailing the impact global warming will have on business. Some of what they highlight has already been talked about extensively: warmers winters, more extreme weather events, and water shortages.

Other important business implications have received much less press: uncertainty, disruption, and new trade routes.

Pricewaterhouse identifies “uncertainty” as the #1 way climate change will affect the economy. The business environment will become less predictable because no one can accurately project the magnitude, location, or timing of the side effects of global warming.

“Disruption” is also near the top of the list. Climate change, in the form of weather events, will damage physical infrastructure. At the same time, climate refugees will leave areas that become too wet, too dry, or too hot, putting a further burden on infrastructure and services in areas that remain habitable.

Finally, the report highlights new trade routes as a significant positive impact for business. As the Arctic melts, a new, shorter shipping channel will open from the Atlantic to Asia.

You can read more about the report and Triple Pundit’s analysis of it here http://www.triplepundit.com/2013/03/top-ten-effects-global-warming-business/