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The Entrepreneurial Agenda by Robb Mandelbaum
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April 15, 2008
When Is a Product Green?
Posted at 9:49 AM
Businesses across America are facing increased pressure to go green. To face this challenge, many companies are attempting to find some way to do something green. But what does this actually mean? Is it a good thing? Or does it dilute authentic green innovation? What constitutes "green-washing"? And is green-washing a bad thing? Here are some recent examples I've seen:
Elle magazine in its April green issue made a big deal that it was going green by using 10% recycled paper. What about the other 90%, or the fact that a large percentage of every magazine is thrown out and never sold (I wonder what the folks at INC magazine have to say about that)?
Starbucks stopped double-cupping. It now uses a sleeve made from 100% recycled content, and its cup is made with 10% recycled content. But its paper cup is still not recyclable, which means that billions of cups every year end up in our landfills.
Ford launched a "hybrid SUV" -- a title that almost seems oxymoronic.
Green is definitely a major trend that has captured the American consumer and is now being reflected in the products and services that are coming to market. I'm curious as to what you think. If Coca-Cola makes its bottles with .01% more recycled plastic content, should it call them the "new green bottle"? What if they're made with .1%, 1%, or 10%? Where do you draw the line?
When does a company have to qualify why their are calling themselves green? Is it a sin to greenwash one's brand -- or is any movement to a greener economy a good thing?
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Wow - I completely agree. It is also troubling when a company makes something appear green through using similar looking materials, brown paper, mixed media, etc., when, in reality, it is not recycled or reused at all! They don't put out messaging lying about it, but they allow their consumers to assume. That is just as bad.
It seems there should be controls, federally mandated (I need to further research), determining when a company can call something recycled, green, environmentally friendly, etc. Not that I am advocating an influx of regulation, but if there were numbers out there that determined significant green percentages, it seems greenwashing would become a much more significant and meaningful message - and heck! maybe the companies would actually have to sacrifice something (a small bit of profit) for their green reputation.
Here's a way to eliminate the Starbucks cardboard sleeve without burning your hands:
www.CupKozy.com
Now if only coffee chains would use biodegradable cups. They exist, they're just more expensive:
http://www.biodegradablestore.com/pp/hot_cups_lids/pp_eco_hot_cups_8_Green%20Stripe.html
One day...
Don't forget that going green doesn't include only the products -- packaging counts too. Offering your customers the option of purchasing a reusable bag is double the pleasure: an opportunity to upsell AND it helps the environment.
I think any movement towards green is good. As the market becomes overly saturated (it may feel like it is there now, but it isn't), more certifications and standards will come out to define what (Cradle 2 Cradle comes to mind) constitutes green. Some of these certifications will fall by the wayside, but the ones that stay will set the standard for what is to be considered green.
The key is just keeping people interested in going green.
Also the "They exist, they're just more expensive" line will never work. It is near-impossible to impose more expensive. The total cost (including life cycle cost and branding value) must be less, or it wont be used
I for one don't see the green trend going anywhere. Kind of like low-fat
Tom, great blog entry. I agree and wrote a similar blog entry the other day at www.yert.com about the "green" movement becoming the "chartreuse" movement. I agree that the "green" movement is in danger of losing credibility - although I think in the long run everyone (including major industry) is going to have to start really "walking the walk" - it simply won't be economical not to. Resources will become too scarce/expensive and as oil heads toward $200/barrel I think we'll see some big changes coming down the pike...REAL changes. Good to see that you're setting the bar EXTREMELY high with TerraCycle.
This whole "greenwashing" phenomenon feels a little bit like when an indie band you really like "sells out" to the big record labels. It's the curse of popularity. And you hope against hope that the band doesn't change its music just to please the masses - that it doesn't somehow water itself down to the point where it forgets the people who made it popular in the first place.
But, I guess at some point this kind of thing is bound to happen to almost every good idea, and the "big guns" are bound to realize if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. However, I think it's important for the American populace to stay informed and hold major corporations accountable for their actions and to maintain a healthy skepticism of "green" claims from big business. Ultimately, I hope that even when the stuff does hit the fan and corporations have to radically change, people remember who was being green early on or green in a big way because it was the right thing to do (like TerraCycle) - not just because it was profitable - and then support those companies that showed environmental leadership.
Oh, by the way. We'd love to interview you (ideally on April 23rd) for our environmental documentary. We're traveling to all 50-states in a single year to document companies, groups, and citizens who are leading the charge toward sustainability in America. And we're keeping all of our garbage in the car with us for the entire year - unless it can be reused as is. Needless to say, we have some yogurt containers for you. Just a thought :) I'm at ben@yert.com. Cheers.
I agree with you but It is important to consider the company environmental performances. Yes! 10% of recycled paper is little, but it is better than 0%. The magazine should decide a new target for next 5 years (example 70%).
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