The Green Dictionary

8 Key Concepts

Who Am I?

Catherine Del SpinaThe Marketing Optometrist

I Am Not A Scientist

I’m Not Al Gore

I Don’t Make Glasses

I am One of You

I use sustainability to enhance my product offering

“Americans can prosper by outgreening everyone else”

Tom FriedmanHot, Flat & Crowded

It’s Not Easy Being Green

• Conflicting views on what it means to be green

• Confusing and misunderstood terms

• Let’s sort through the jargon, the icons and the opportunities

The Dictionary

1. Sustainability2. Greenwashing3. Authenticity4. Life Cycle Assessment5. Carbon Footprint6. The Mobius Loop7. Recycling8. Closing the Loop

SustainabilityBamboo grows 47.6 inches a day No Longer AffordableTeak

Sustainability

“meet present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs”

United Nations Conference 1987

Chiefs must always consider the effects of their actions on their descendants

seven generations in the future.Iroquois Confederacy

Unto the 7th Generation

How to Assess Sustainability

Natural Capitalism By Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins and L. Hunter Lovins

Social Criteria

• People Have to Want It…and They Do• Culturally acceptable

• Psychologically nurturing

Financial Criteria

• Makes Sense Economically• Technologically feasible

• Does the Supply Chain Work?

Environmental Criteria

• Environmentally Meaningful Does it make a difference?

• Generationally Sensitive• Capable of Continuous Improvement

Yesterday isn’t good enough anymore

The Triple Bottom Line

• Addition of social and environmental values the financial balance sheet

• Social and environmental impact of supply chain

• Currently few standards for measurement… but they are coming…probably from DC– Like nutritional labeling, mpg labels etc.

“GREENwashing”

• The act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service

“GREENwashing”

• Example: the hotel industry's practice of placing green placards in each room, promoting reuse of guest-towels, ostensibly to "save the environment“

• Coined by Jay Westerveld

Courtesy of sinsofgreenwashing.org

1. Sin of the Hidden Trade-off

• A claim of “greenness” based on an incomplete comparison– Paper from renewable

forests

– Doesn’t mention • Greenhouse gas

emissions• Chlorine bleaching

Courtesy of sinsofgreenwashing.org

2. The Sin of No Proof

• A claim that can’t be substantiated by accessible information

• Example: personal care products that claim not to be tested on animals but offer no certification

Courtesy of sinsofgreenwashing.org

3. The Sin of Vagueness

• A poorly defined or intentionally fuzzy claim designed to mislead

• Example: “All Natural”– Arsenic, formaldehyde,

mercury and uranium are all natural but not green

4. The Sin of Worshiping

False Labels • A product that gives

the impression of third-party endorsement where none exists

• i.e. False labeling without scientific back up

5. The Sin of Irrelevance

• A “green” claim that may be truthful but is unimportant or irrelevant

• Example: CFC-free– Chloro-fluoro-carbons– Banned for 30+ years

6. The Sin of the Lesser of Two Evils

• A true “green” claim that misleads or confuses

• Placing qualifiers on products in which the entire category is questionable of environmental value

• Example:-All natural cigarette-Green Insecticides

7. The Sin of Fibbing

• Just plain lying• Claiming something

that is simply not true

• Example: Energy Star Certification that wasn’t

Authenticity

• Believable• Acceptable• Trustworthy

• Reliable• The real thing

Sustainability as a Differentiator

• Work hard to be authentic• Be honest and transparent

• Walk the talk

• Remember: social media is watching…..and reporting

Authenticity

Which Sin is This?

• Ingredients: Corn Syrup, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Water, Sugar Syrup, Pure Maple Syrup, Salt, Cellulose Gum, Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Caramel Color, Sodium Benzoate and Sorbic Acid (Preservatives), Artificial Flavor.

• Environmental impact of a product or service• Raw Material Production

• Transportation• Manufacture

• Packaging• Use

• Disposal

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

Life Cycle Assessment

Carbon Footprint

• A measure of the impact our activities have on the environment and climate change

• The amount of greenhouse gases produced through burning fossil fuels.

What happens to your recycling when it leaves

your driveway?

Mobius Loop

Earth Day 1970: Gary Anderson, senior at UCLA, wins design competition with Mobius Logo

• Step 1: collection of materials

• Step 2: manufacturing process

• Step 3: purchase and use of the products made from the recycled materials.

Mobius Loop Symbol

• Processing used materials into new products in order to prevent waste of useful materials:– reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials – reduce energy usage– reduce air pollution – reduce water pollution

Recycling

Closing the Loop

Plastic Films RainStore

1. Waste destined

for landfills

5. New Product

Development

2. Collection

& Consolidat

ion

3. Sustainabl

e Recycling

4. Post Consumer

Resins

Consumers Want It!

• They want to do the right thing

• They want you to do the right thing

“We call it Plan A …it’s now the only way to do business” ‘07

• Combat climate change• Reduce waste• Safeguard natural resources• Trade ethically• Build a healthier nation.

“It’s what the customer wants us to do.

It’s also the right thing to do.There is no Plan B”

MIKE DUKEPRESIDENT/CEO,

WAL-MART STORES

“The index will bring about a more transparent supply chain, drive product innovation and

ultimately, provide consumers the information they need to assess the sustainability of products. If we work together, we can create a new retail standard

for the 21st century.”

Environmental Goals

•To be supplied 100 percent by renewable energy

•To create zero waste

•To sell products that sustain people and the environment.

Green Products Top of Mind

cds@delspina.comCatherine Del Spina

Chief VisionaryThe Marketing Optometrist