Green Product Retrieval and Recommendations System

This chapter introduces a preference-based recommendation procedure in a green product information retrieval system. It constructs a green information management system based on data mining technology. Green products and relevant green regulations were collected and then integrated in a content-based and collaborative filtering method to provide a preference-based query interface for green products. It is hoped that the proposed system offers consumers a green information platform when they are considering buying green products. Our proposed system recommends the best possible choices for consumers that indicate a green preference. Besides serving as a green information retrieval for the consumers, the system also assists the product designers with understanding the preference some consumers have for green products and the satisfaction they get from buying these products. With the steadily worsening pollution and the continuous degradation of the environment, consumers are becoming more and more concerned about what they eat, the goods they purchase, and the impact it has on the environment. Jones (1994) pointed out that 94% of Italians will consider the green index when selecting a product; 77% of Americans regard the green index as an important reference for purchase and more than 40% of consumers in Europe love to purchase products with a green seal. However, in Asia green consumerism is still a very limited phenomenon, as far as the share of green consumers in the overall