Go Green or Go Home!

Aug 06, 2009•Blog Posts• by author

Nancy B.

Companies are realizing they have to adopt green practices if they want to retain and expand their consumer base as well as remain competitive and forge new business associates. According to Kiwano Marketing, “Instead of putting faith into a product’s appearance (and advertising spin i.e. greenwashing), companies are starting to be held responsible [by the consumer] for their commitment towards the environment. Where governments and bureaucracies have lagged in providing much in the way of environmental regulations, individual companies are creating their own standards of green corporate responsibility.”

Likewise, according to a Eurobarometer survey on “Europeans’ attitude towards the issue of sustainable consumption and production”, 83% of respondents consider the environmental impact of products as a parameter that influences their purchasing decisions.
Currently, it seems obvious that consumers in the U.S. (and abroad) care, not only for the environment, but also for how their purchases affect the environment. Consumers demand to know what companies are doing to help. The NACS (National Association of Convenience Stores) has put together a toolkit for gas station and convenience stores as means of hopping on the ‘green wave’. Likewise, PepsiCo has tallied up the pounds of carbon emission (3.75 lbs) that one half gallon carton of orange juice produces. Of course, they have yet to determine how they will market this information, but this move shows that companies are ready to take action. According to Andrew Martin at NYtimes.com:

“PepsiCo is among a growing number of companies that hope to get ahead of potential government mandates and curb their energy use as prices and long-term supply grow less certain. They also want to promote supposedly low-carbon products to consumers anxious about rising global temperatures; such labeling has already appeared in Europe. The list of companies that have taken steps to reduce carbon emissions includes I.B.M., Nike, Coca-Cola and BP, the oil giant. Google, Yahoo and Dell are among the companies that have vowed to become ‘carbon neutral’.”

‘Green’ practices are the way of the future. From advertising, to production, to construction of ‘brick and mortar’ stores, consumers are expecting (if not demanding) environmentally savvy practices from corporations. The zeitgeist has swept up consumers, and companies that have not been paying attention run to risk of falling behind.