I often run across new companies that do not really understand the concept of sustainability and green, yet understand enough that they know it is important. They know that they want to embrace it, yet they do not really understand what it means to be green. I ran across one such company the other day who had the best intentions, but needs to better understand the concept of green before they are accused of greenwashing.
I learned of a new doctors office that was more holistically-minded and green. They were marketing these two positioning lines on their website. It was quite attractive to many consumers in a state that did not have many holistically-minded doctors and really no green medical offices such as this. When I checked out the practice, I noticed that although they had a handful of green features, there were many other things they did not embrace. They mentioned being holistic and having green furniture and carpeting, plus no VOC paint, yet when you went into the bathroom, the soap, sprays, etc. were all chemicals. There was definitely a disconnect of what being green really meant. They went so far as to invest in some green furniture and carpeting, etc., yet the simple things such as soap and cleaners were forgotten and not understood, yet they professed being totally green.
This particular business had the best intentions just as anyone else does, they just didn’t understand the concept of what green meant. They didn’t understand that eliminating chemicals was a huge component of the equation.
Could they be greenwashed?
In my opinion, absolutely. They were talking up their green positioning in a way that made people think they were 100% green. Sure they had a lot of green features, but they needed to acknowledge where they had limitations and talk about how they were working to find better solutions if none were available. They needed to talk about their philosophy and values toward green and the environment and what it meant to them, how they chose the businesses with which they aligned, and how and what they were doing in the community to help the environment. This all falls under the green umbrella.
I like to share these types of stories with you so that you can understand if you choose to use green positioning, which is an added advantage, you need to understand what it means and how to use it. I have a course that teaches just that, Creating Authentic Green Value. It’s available for immediate download, broken up into 5, 60-minute webinars and with accompanying transcriptions, http://www.marketing-insider.com/secrets_of_green_brands_webinar/
Helping You Understand and Profit from Consumer Health and Green Trends
Colette Chandler
