The Many Shades of “Green”
I was going through the mail last weekend when a catalog from Design Within Reach caught my attention.
They ask what seems to be a very simple question, “What Is Green?” But there certainly isn’t a simple answer. Sustainable, eco-friendly, recycled, recyclable, up-cycle, carbon footprint, low VOC, Greenguard, LEED, renewable energy, global warming, carbon emissions, and the list goes on. What does it all mean?
“Green” and “eco-friendly” are part of our everyday vernacular. According to a recent article in PR Week, the number of media covering green products and topics has more than tripled in the last 18 months. I have four magazines at my desk and three of them promote green articles on their covers. Newsweek asks “Who’s the Greenest of Them All?” Woman’s Day offers tips to “Save Money, Go Green.” Wondertime wants to get the kids involved, with “The Green Project Kids Can’t Resist.”
There was a time when I thought there could never be too much talk about “saving the planet.” I remember attending an Earth Day festival in Boston about 10 years ago, when living green was equated with “earthy crunchy” and a niche segment of consumers – a far cry from the millions being spent on green marketing today. Target, Wal-Mart, Banana Republic, to name a few, are all running special promotions in April in honor of Earth Day.
So what’s the downside? Greenwashing. According to Wikipedia greenwashing “is a term that is used to describe the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service.” The concern is that companies are not living up to their green claim and merely trying to cash-in on a trend.
But there are brands with legitimate green stories to tell – and it’s a ripe time to tell that story. Stonyfield Farm (a 360 client, in the interest of full disclosure) is one such example. Stonyfield decided to earmark 10% of its profits on an ongoing basis for organizations that further eco-friendly practices long before it was cool to go green. Stonyfield is authentically green.
But I do have one more question: How “green” is it to send a 157-page catalogue to someone who didn’t even ask for it?
Great post Caroline! Hopefully in the future all companies will operate automatically, despite the fact that there may be a PR or marketing value, in ways that are better for the planet. – E
I am drawn to this post, as I have spent the last semester of my undergrad doing independent research of sustainability initiatives, and greenwashing in particular.
I think the small steps toward going green are extremely important to organizations today, and consumers expect to see them doing something to reduce their eco-footprint. However, the more companies are able to integrate their sustainability initiatives into their core values and business strategy, the more authentic they will be — which is something consumers notice.
360 PR is fortunate enough to be working with one of the most authentically sustainable companies, Stonyfield, who has built their entire business mission around their commitment to the environment. Stonyfield is able to bypass any greenwashing risks because they are living up to every claim they make. It’s no wonder they have such a loyal following of consumers! Keep an eye out for this company…they will surely be a case study for any company who wants to go green.
Great post!