By Tony DeMasi, editor
oing green” seems to be the current mantra of cutting-edge
retailers, manufacturers, and the like. It sounds good but
how can it actually become reality? Moreover, do consumers
care?
A recent Maritz poll, designed to track Gen Y’s brand awareness among several
retailers, was split down the middle on the influence a retailer’s environmental
policy and sustainability had on their shopping habits. Half of the respondents
said a retailer’s policy did influence their shopping behavior. When asked
to describe their attitude toward a retailer’s environmentally friendly positioning,
46 percent said they would shop at a retailer more if they were environmentally
friendly, while 54 percent said it would not affect their behavior.
Only slightly fewer respondents, 47 percent, said they would be willing to pay
more for environmentally friendly services, products, or brands. Out of this percentage,
the vast majority, 77 percent, cited “care about the environment” as the
reason behind their willingness to pay more. Other qualifiers, such as “it’s the
right thing to do,” 21 percent, or “so that people know I’m environmentally
aware,” 2 percent, trailed behind.
I don’t believe it. I think most consumers will say they are willing to pay more
to support the “green” cause, but when it’s time to pull out that extra dollar, they
won’t do it.
Some retailers and manufacturers are turning to packaging as the starting
place for going green. They are stressing smaller, eco-friendly, compact packaging
that is bio-based and recyclable. However, these companies are also doing so with
a keen eye on profits.
At the forefront of one such initiative is Wal-Mart. Last year, the company
announced a plan to reduce packaging by 5 percent by 2013, a move that could
save the company $3.4 billion.
Some manufactures are delighted with this decision and hope other retailers
follow along. It’s because smaller packaging means more items can fit in a shipping
container, which means more product goes on the truck for a smaller
amount of energy used.
However, the chain reaction does not stop there. It also means more products
on shelves, a higher probability of customers finding the products they seek, and
fewer man-hours spent restocking shelves.
Target Corp just issued a new gift card using Mirel, a bio-based plastic. You
can expect other major retailers to follow.
In a sort of retro situation, the paper bag is making a huge comeback.
But again, the big question is, will customers pay more for eco-friendly packaging?
Again, I doubt it. Consumers’ main objective is to save money. Only if
companies are forced to go green because of government legislation will there
really be a difference, because then every retailer and manufacturer will be on the
same playing field.
Help is On the Way
Need extra advice on how to run your business? You are not alone. Here are excellent resources that offer relevant information
and advice to the small business community. Explore the resources below to find out more.
NFIB
The National Federation of Independent Business
(NFIB) is the leading advocacy organization representing
small and independent businesses. A nonprofit
and nonpartisan organization founded in
1943, NFIB represents the consensus views of its
members in Washington and all 50 state capitals.
NFIB’s mission is to promote and protect the
rights of its members to own, operate, and grow
their businesses. NFIB also gives its members power
in the marketplace. By pooling the purchasing
power of its members, the NFIB gives members
access to many business products and services at discounted
costs. NFIB also provides timely information
designed to help small businesses succeed. For
more information, visit the NFIB Web site.
SCORE “Counselors to
America’s Small Business” is
America’s premier source of free
and confidential small business
advice for entrepreneurs. Since
1964, 7.6 million entrepreneurs
have been counseled by SCORE
or attended SCORE workshops.
SCORE provides face-to-face
mentoring, Ask SCORE online
advice, and local community business
workshops through a network
of 10,500 volunteers located
in 389 chapters in 50 states.
SCORE counselors represent
more than 300,000 years of business
experience. SCORE is a
national 501 (c) (3) charitable
organization. For more information,
visit the SCORE Web site.
StartupNation is a community
for entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs.
StartupNation was created
to be a one-stop resource for
entrepreneurial success and boasts the largest online community of startup
entrepreneurs in the world.
Inside the site is all the easy-to-follow, practical
information you will need to start and grow your
own successful business. Looking for quick answers?
Want to connect with other entrepreneurs, mentors,
and experts? Curious about first steps to take?
StartupNation is all about giving you access to helpful
articles, peer-to-peer forums, blogs, on-demand
seminars, podcasts, and success stories. You name it,
it is all there.
StartupNation was created by Rich and Jeff
Sloan, two of the country’s top entrepreneurial
experts. You can hear the Sloan brothers as they cohost
StartupNation’s nationally syndicated radio
program on more than 85 radio stations across the
country every week.
Winning Workplaces is a nonprofit organization
providing information and solutions to help small
and mid-size businesses create high-performance
workplaces. Based on the overwhelming evidence
that people-friendly workplaces
produce better business results,
Winning Workplaces addresses
its mission in three ways:
• By providing a clearinghouse
of information and practical
tools, housed on its Web site
and in a monthly e-newsletter,
designed to offer ideas, examples
of best practices, and current
studies and publications.
• By annually recognizing the
Top Small Workplaces in collaboration
with The Wall Street
Journal.
• By providing consulting and
training to help organizations
improve their workplaces, thus
improving productivity, retention,
culture, and business
results.
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