filter by tag: green

From "Farm Verified Organic" to "USDA Organic," "Processed Chlorine Free" to "Totally Chlorine Free," eco-labels are proliferating and consumers are having a tough time keeping them all straight. Cone's 2011 Green Gap Trend Tracker found 51 percent of Americans are overwhelmed by the amount of environmental messages in the marketplace, and no wonder – there are more than 5,000 products currently on the shelves touting green claims and more than 400 green labels in the market.

What was once a solution for effective green marketing has become a contested topic among marketing experts and environmental authorities alike. Consumers, however, are turning to technology for the answer. Bart King, writer for Sustainable Life Media, offers one possible solution to the green label conundrum – an app. Many products are now equipped with "smart barcodes," which allow users to scan codes to learn more information about the products they are purchasing with apps like GoodGuide. Apps also offer a potential solution for marketers struggling to efficiently communicate the holistic environmental credentials of their products.

On-pack offers only a small space for product messages, yet almost 80 percent of Americans want detailed information readily accessible on product packaging. Armed with apps, curious consumers can now dig deeper into a company's product specifications and environmental impact right in the store, without having to decode a myriad of labels.

Have you ever had “wrap rage”? Do you find yourself fighting a clamshell package armed with blades, brains and brawn and still ending up on the losing side? Why are we still in the packaging dark ages?

Only a year ago, The New York Times reported slow uptake on new, easier-to-open, more sustainable packaging options. Though there was some momentum online, big box retailers balked at changing bulky packaging due to theft concerns; yet high oil prices, consumer demand and a growing focus on sustainability have forced companies to change their tune. Today, The New York Times is able to print a different story, one in which retailers are dropping petroleum-based clamshell packages for groundbreaking and eye-catching new options.

Walmart now sells Swiss Army Knives in tamper-evident cardboard and laminate packages instead of the traditional clamshell; Target* is reducing plastic in yogurt, lightbulbs and socks. Dell is experimenting with chemical-free packaging made with agricultural by-products and Puma, which first created the “Clever Little Bag," is making packaging strides again with a shopping bag that dissolves in hot water and breaks down in a home composter. And, these companies are not alone. According to Visiongain, a business information provider, the sustainable and green packaging market will see steady growth in mature markets with above average growth in developing nations in 2011 and 2012.

Companies are now recognizing value is not just what’s inside the shopping bag. In addition to pleasing consumers and other stakeholders, more sustainable packaging can mean a 30 percent reduction in transportation costs and a 30 percent savings in material and labor. The time has come to say goodbye to frustrating clamshells and other wasteful materials and hello to a new wave of enlightened packaging.

*Cone Client

It may not be news that consumers are often unaware of corporate environmental initiatives, but would it surprise you to hear corporate executives may also be out of touch? The 2011 Gibbs & Soell Sense & Sustainability Study revealed 88 percent of FORTUNE 1000 executives report their companies are “going green.” Yet, only 29 percent believe a majority of other businesses are committed to sustainability.

The disconnect is more than a little surprising considering the momentum in the space. New commitments are announced almost daily – from the world’s biggest brands to its smallest enterprises – across product lines, business functions and industries. Environmentally responsible products increasingly line our shelves, corporate environmental stories flood our inboxes and green conferences fill our calendars. So why aren’t executives recognizing these efforts among their peers? Are they truly unaware or are they downplaying other companies’ initiatives, at the same time, perhaps, as they are overestimating their own?

It’s difficult to know what is at the root of this data disconnect, but each of these explanations is troubling and signals a deep communications problem in environmental responsibility. Forget consumers for a moment. Executives should take a look inward and consider whether they are accurately assessing and communicating the depth of their own companies' environmental commitments and whether they are staying abreast of others’ efforts. A little green envy among peers will foster innovation and benefit us all.