Project: Green Industry

Make every day Earth Day

If you or your customers are going through Earth Day withdrawal, there are several opportunities to helping to make the planet greener on a daily basis. Sacramento Bee columnist Claudia Buck offered the following suggestions:

Give 1 for the planet
Over 1,100 companies in 38 countries are now participating in One Percent for the Planet or 1% FTP. Since the Vermont-based program was launched in 2002 over $42 million has been donated to environmental causes. Companies participating in the program range from international corporations like Sony to independent retailers.

These companies make donations directly to the environmental nonprofits of their choice, deciding which organizations receive the contributions and how much they receive. Companies use a “member” logo in their marketing materials to inform the public of their participation in the program, giving consumers an opportunity to support the businesses and brands that have made the commitment to support environmental causes.

Saving some green
Consumers looking to invest in mutual funds can choose to do so in an environmentally conscientious way. GreenMoney Journal has released a top 10 list of mutual funds that invest in companies focused on maintaining clean water, developing and using alternative energy sources, producing and delivering organic products and avoiding products related to alcohol, gambling and weapons.

GreenMoney Journal publisher Cliff Feigenbaum said these mutual funds enable “people to align their money with their values.” He said the goal of the list is “make money and make a difference.” Funds on the list include: Appleseed, Integrity Growth & Income, Wells Fargo Advantage Social Sustainability, Dreyfus Global Sustainability, Calvert Large Cap Value, Calvert Global Water, Pax World Global Green, Pax World International, Pax World Small Cap and Firsthand Alternative Energy.

Cutting down on plastic
Consumers looking to cut down on the amount of plastic they are carrying in purses and wallets can discard used or expired gift cards, unused credit cards, old library cards, membership cards, video rental cards, shopper discount cards or old hotel key cards. Most of these cards are recyclable and some are even biodegradable.

Earthworks Systems in Solon, Ohio, reports that many of these cards are made from a base material of PVC plastic. About 10 billion new cards are placed in circulation every year. The company said when the cards are replaced or reach their expiration dates, most of them are thrown in the trash, contributing more than 75 million pounds of PVC material to the waste stream every year.

According to the International Card Manufacturing Association, 16.9 billion plastic cards were produced worldwide in 2006. North America remains the largest card unit market with more than 8.3 billion cards manufactured in 2006.

Earthworks, which manufactures and recycles PVC for card applications, has implemented the Retailer Gift Card Return Program. The program allows retailers to send back zero-value gift cards for recycling into earth-friendly, reusable sheet material.

Earthworks’ return program allows consumers to redeem gift cards at the retail checkout. The used cards are retained by the retailers and returned to the Earthworks Recycling Center for shredding and processing into reusable sheet material ready for making new gift cards. The new cards are loaded and used exactly like any other type of gift card.

--Dave

Frito-Lay offers its SunChips in plant-based renewable packaging

Beginning in 2010 snack-maker Frito-Lay will begin selling its SunChips line of multigrain snacks in the first fully compostable snack-chip bag. Made from plant-based materials, the change is designed to significantly improve the environmental impact of the company’s packaging.

This month, Frito-Lay will begin marketing its 10 ½-ounce size SunChips in packages consisting of an outer layer made with polylactic acid (PLA), a compostable, plant-based renewable material. By Earth Day 2010, Frito-Lay plans to market its SunChips in packages in which all layers are made from PLA material, making them 100 percent compostable. When the packaging is 100 percent compostable, it will fully decompose in about 14 weeks when placed in a hot, active compost pile or bin.

Current snack food packaging has three layers: a printed outer layer with packaging graphics, an inner layer, which serves as a barrier to maintain the quality and integrity of the product, and a middle layer that joins the other two layers. NatureWorks LLC is providing the PLA, which is trademarked under the Ingeo name.

“Using plant-based renewable materials, we have a promising solution that will transform packaging and significantly impact the billions of snack food bags produced annually,” said Jay Gehring, vice president of packaging R&D at Frito-Lay North America.

Once the 100-percent compostable bag is introduced, the company anticipates the switch will lead to reduced greenhouse gas emissions in the production of the packaging and the elimination of petroleum-based packaging material.

To inform consumers about its new packaging efforts, Frito-Lay will be communicating through traditional marketing efforts, including print, TV and digital advertising. As part of the current SunChips packaging change, the front panel of the current 10½-ounce package features a callout, “Renewable materials make up 33% of this bag.”

To communicate the 100 percent compostable bag, the digital strategy includes a video showing how the bag decomposes over 14 weeks. Also, samples of the fully compostable material will be distributed at major retailers nationwide and as part of a special People magazine ad.

--Dave

Good Housekeeping seal goes green

This year marks the 100th anniversary of Good Housekeeping magazine’s seal of approval. To celebrate the event, the magazine is expanding its consumer advocacy efforts by introducing its Green Good Housekeeping Seal. The goal of the new seal is to evaluate products based on their measurable environmental impact and to provide consumers with some guidance.

“The Green Good Housekeeping Seal is the next logical step,” said Good Housekeeping editor-in-chief Rosemary Ellis. “Today there are many products claiming to be green, but no real guidelines defining what that means. We know that our readers want to make greener choices but are confused by, and even mistrustful of, many product promises. It’s our responsibility to help consumers make the wisest and healthiest choices for themselves and their families.”

The criteria for the Green Seal were developed by the Good Housekeeping Research Institute in partnership with Brown & Wilmanns Environmental, a green consulting company that has worked with companies like Patagonia, Aveda and Timberland to integrate social responsibility.

The Green Seal will take a comprehensive, holistic approach, evaluating and verifying data related to composition, manufacturing and packaging of a product. Only products that meet criteria based on specific attributes such as water quality, packaging reduction and energy efficiency, will earn the Green Seal.

Products with the Green Seal will carry a limited warranty. If a product proves to be defective within two years of purchase, Good Housekeeping will replace the item or refund the consumer. A separate Green Seal icon, shaded green with a leaf motif has been designed, which is similar to the original seal with its recognizable star.

-- Dave

Who’s buying green in a down economy?

Brandweek ran an article earlier this week about a new report on green consumption. According to the findings in “Sustainability: CPG Marketing in a Green World,” sales of green products are up 4.1 percent, driven mostly by price increases, as unit sales per category dropped 6.6 percent in 2008.

Surprisingly, to me, at least, it’s not diehard eco-enthusiasts who are doing the bulk of the buying. “Eco-centrists,” also known as “green extremes” in the report, held steady in their support of sustainable products. More middle-of-the-road consumers, known in the report as “respectful stewards” and “proud traditionalists,” increased their spending on green products by 15.5 and 8.4 percent, respectively.

What gives?

Eco-centrics are cutting back only because they’ve filled their baskets with green products in good times, while respectful stewards and proud traditionalists, haven’t purchased as many green products in the past, an insider familiar with the report told Brandweek.

Hmm. Makes me wonder if garden retailers should take a look at their green marketing messages. Clearly, preaching to the converted isn’t going to produce growth in sales of sustainable goods. Now might be the time to broaden and soften an eco-friendly message to appeal to the masses. What do you think?

-- Sarah

Green questions, answered

The problem with sustainable living is that it opens the door to so many questions. For example, if I use a lot of water rinsing out food containers before putting them in the recycling bin, am I really being eco-friendly? Or, am I doing the world a favor when I choose to use compact-florescent light bulbs? They’re energy-efficient, but also contain a trace amount of mercury.

If you’re looking for a fact-based, pro/con treatment of these kinds of issues, check out The Green Lantern department at Slate.com. Its columnists have tackled several topics near and dear to the green industry, like whether it’s better to buy a fake or real Christmas tree and which shade trees soak up the most carbon.

-- Sarah

“Easy-to-use” is crucial to organic gardening growth

First, the news from the latest Garden Writers Association Foundation survey…

Eighty percent of consumers would use more organic products if they knew they could get an effective result for no additional cost, according to Garden Writers Association Foundation’s winter survey. Other findings: 60% of respondents said they would use more organic products if they could be convinced that organics are just as effective as non-organic products; 55% said they would like to use organic products more if they could simply find them in a store; 53% said they would use more organic products if they understood what to buy and how to use it.

What did I get out of this? Organic products have to be easy-to-use and show definitive benefits before consumers will embrace them.

I’m a parent, so I tend to choose organic solutions for my garden. It just seems like the safer option. But—I have to admit—I’m not interested in learning all the intricacies of organic gardening. Why? I just don’t have enough time. A problem shared by many working mothers (your target market).

Give us organic products that are easy-to-use, and we’ll snatch them up. I promise.

-- Sarah

Another green magazine folds

Green may still be in, but the mainstream public doesn’t appear too keen on buying magazines on the subject.

Just this week, Plenty, a consumer magazine about the “modern environmental movement” folded both its online and traditional magazine editions.

The magazine isn’t the first green-focused one to fold on the consumer side. National Geographic stopped producing its newsstand version of Green Guide late last year. The quarterly publication does live on in one format: National Geographic kept the online version.

-- Jyme

New York retailers bag plastic; hybrid car owners gain perks

On Jan. 1, New York became the second state to require retailers and grocery stores that supply their customers with plastic bags to provide recycling bins for those bags. California was the first state to enact bag recycling legislation.

Stores in New York affected by the legislation are establishments with more than 10,000 square feet of retail space or those that are part of a chain with more than five stores, each with more than 5,000 square feet of retail space. Retailers are required to provide collection bins for used plastic carryout bags, to recycle the returned bags and to keep records for three years indicating the amount of plastic bags collected and recycled.

With the recycling law at the state level, local governments are pre-empted from adopting their own bag recycling laws. However, New York City has been allowed to retain an earlier enacted law that established a city-wide bag and film plastic recycling program.

New York Deputy Secretary for the Environment Judith Enck said the bags “are a persistent litter and environmental problem. Nationally, we discard nearly 100 billion plastic bags every year.” She said the legislation will make it easier for citizens to recycle used bags and would encourage them to use reusable bags instead.

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Hybrid car owners, in addition to spending less money for fuel and receiving tax credits, are starting to receive some other perks from cities and businesses, reports USA Today. Drivers of hybrid cars are receiving preferential treatment when it comes to driving in high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes and free or reduced-cost parking or reserved parking spots.

The newspaper reports some city residents and business customers aren’t happy with the special treatment extended to the hybrid car owners. Officials in Ferndale, Mich., addressed this concern by offering free meter parking to owners of cars that get 30 miles or more per gallon of fuel based on federal data.

Expect to see increased use of these perks by both the public and private sectors in order to encourage more people to conserve energy and live healthier.

-- Dave 

Shopper awareness of retailers' green efforts increases

While the share of shoppers who view a retailer’s or brand’s commitment to social responsibility and sustainability as important has declined since the beginning of 2008, more shoppers are aware of retailer and brand initiatives related to these issues, reported TNS Retail Forward.

A recent TNS Retail Forward survey indicated that an increasing share of shoppers is willing to pay “a little more” for “green” products.

“Although retailer commitment to social responsibility and sustainability is not yet driving store choice or purchase decisions for most shoppers, ShopperScape research indicates that shoppers are increasingly aware of retailers’ and brands’ green agendas,” said Kelly Tackett, senior consultant with TNS Retail Forward.

Since November 2006, the share of shoppers who can name a retailer or brand committed to sustainability and social responsibility has increased more than 4 percentage points.

“Among those aware of any green retailers or brands, shoppers most frequently cite Walmart, which has grown its level of unaided shopper mentions to 16% since 2006,” said Tackett.

-- Sarah

Green efforts make inroads with low income groups

While celebrities garner much of the press associated with environmental issues and causes, low-income consumers are gaining more attention when it comes to reducing their energy use. USA Today reports that an increasing number of cities and civic and charity groups are starting to focus their efforts on helping lower income consumers save on their energy bills.

The paper reports that some cities are focusing on residents in lower income areas because they are the ones who are using and spending the most on energy. Greenprint Denver director Michele Moss Weingarden said a study of utility data revealed the city’s highest energy-using neighborhood was home to its poorest residents. People on low or fixed incomes living in older homes were unable to afford the much-needed insulation and energy-efficient appliances that could help them lower energy consumption. The city’s Neighborhood Energy Blitz provided energy audits, signed residents up for free recycling services, inspected furnaces and water heaters, installed energy-efficient light bulbs and even offered residents a tree to plant in their yards.

Over half (52 percent) of the carbon emissions generated in Denver resulted from residential and commercial energy consumption. Another 30 percent reports Greenprint Denver came from transportation.

Although the city has made some inroads to reducing energy consumption, officials know they’ve got a long way to go.

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper told USA Today that 80 percent of the city’s housing construction occurred prior to 1970 with much of it in low-income neighborhoods. The mayor has set a goal of lowering per capita greenhouse gas emissions 10 percent by 2012 and 25 percent by 2020.

One program of the Greenprint Denver initiative is Tree by Tree--The Mile High Million. Its goal is to add one million new trees in the metropolitan Denver area by 2025. Residents are being encouraged to participate in the campaign by planting trees, informing the city of plantings and volunteering time to tree planting organizations. Over 100,000 trees have been reported planted since the mayor announced the program in 2006.

-- Dave