Monthly Archives: January 2013

I recently stumbled upon ethicalDeal or what some consider as the “Green Groupon”. While I’m often skeptical about the long term success of the daily deal model (see Groupon), I am curious about ethicalDeal’s focus on a “green lifestyle”. ethicalDeal is a Vancouver startup offering consumers green products based on their ethical criteria and aims to educate consumers on the health and eco benefits of their products. I see the company addressing common barriers to buying green such as: too expensive, not sure where to find them or don’t know which companies are greenwashing. What I particularly like is the added convenience of redeeming a deal at your local grocer such as Whole Foods or Donald’s Market.

Personally, I get overwhelmed when I’m standing in front of a grocery aisle and trying to figure out which green product to buy. Featuring local green companies who meet their strict standards at a discount is a great way to introduce consumers to a carefully selected number of green products and services. Their blog is worth checking out. It features local community events and education on topics such as Fair trade certification.  While the company does use a lot of green buzzwords and images in its marketing, ethicalDeal offers a unique value proposition in a crowded and arguably declining industry.

Farm-to-Table is a popular movement with the aim of connecting local food producers to local consumers. Several restaurants in Vancouver have embraced this concept (here and here), and they are prime examples of using a sustainability issue as a marketing tool. Using local, in-season ingredients isn’t a new idea, but it doesn’t seem like restaurants have used it as a major differentiation point in the past. Advocates of the movement claim economic, environmental and health benefits to consuming local food.

“Food Miles”

Do these claims have merit? Well it depends on how you look at it. Money stays in the local economy and I personally find the taste of local food fresher. A major argument about supporting local food is that it travels less “food miles”, therefore less carbon emissions are generated. But “food miles” doesn’t show the whole picture. If 1 large truck traveled 1000 km and carried 1000 apples, and 10 local farmers carried 100 apples each and traveled 100 km, they basically covered the same distance for the same amount of food (assuming they burn about the same amount of fuel). “Food miles” actually makes up a small percentage of the overall carbon footprint of food (11%).  How food is actually grown makes up about 83%. We really have to consider the whole lifecycle, from fertilization to disposal. Currently there is no standard for measuring the carbon footprint of food. It is difficult to try and come up with the exact emissions for a food product because there are many factors to consider and not every one of these factors is being measured.

What can we do?

A couple months ago, while I was having dinner at Fable Kitchen (which prides itself on the Farm-to-Table concept), I had the chance to speak with the Head Chef, Trevor Bird. He stressed the need to be an educated consumer and that it is often much easier to measure the carbon emissions from local farms. It is also beneficial for businesses to build relationships with local food purveyors and other food establishments to try and figure out efficient ways to improve the local food economy. He was also looking into programs such as Bullfrog Power. It is akin to buying carbon offsets. You are paying for the Bullfrog Power to inject green, renewable energy into the grid on your behalf. I’m not convinced with the Bullfrog Power model but I digress. So what are we to do in the meantime? I probably won’t be trying to calculate the carbon emissions from my grocery trips, but I can eat less meat (growing livestock is a very inefficient process) and buy certified organic whenever possible.

-JN

Living away from home can be a challenge, especially when it comes to making household purchasing decisions. When it comes to everyday personal care and household products, I try to look for products that are both eco-friendly and safe for my body.  Three major cues I look for are: ingredients, claims and environmental impact.

Dawn Antibacterial Dish Soap

You might’ve seen Dawn’s antibacterial dish soap commercial before. If not, click here.

The heartwarming message of saving wildlife affected by oil spills, and donating money to the cause, were some of the reasons why I used to use this product. However, one of the main ingredients, Triclosan (anti-bacterial function), has been discovered to be a potentially dangerous chemical in larger quantities by different organizations. Environment Canada noted that Triclosan is hard to degrade in the environment, is an irritant and can be toxic to aquatic wildlife.

Triclosan Everywhere?

I actually found Triclosan in the supposedly “natural” deodorant and toothpaste I use. While some of the ingredients are in their natural, unrefined states, the use of greenwashing on the labels doesn’t really convey the whole picture. Only some of the ingredients are naturally occurring, and we haven’t even considered how it was produced. The Canadian Medical Association cites the extensive use of Triclosan (found in many labeled and unlabeled household products) can contribute to antibiotic resistance.

Proctor & Gamble (P&G) was asked by CBC if their Dawn antibacterial dish soap products were “in compliance with current legal and regulatory requirements in Canada”. P&G claims Dawn products to be in compliance, but is that enough these days to win over consumers? Regulatory requirements and regulations are baselines. They are the lowest expectation. Rather than responding to general regulatory requirements, why aren’t companies making strategic decisions to go above and beyond these measures and setting new standards through education and transparency? Perhaps Seventh Generation is a rare case of strategic green marketing.

This Seventh Generation ad  promotes the brand’s green philosophy and has a link on the bottom left educating customers about optical brighteners.

There is Hope!

Seventh Generation is a brand of green cleaning and personal care products. The company has an integrated marketing plan showing its commitment to the environment through its social media channels, website and print ads. The company is very transparent about its ingredients, third party certifications and strategic corporate social responsibility. The website is very informative and the social media channels are interactive platforms for consumer involvement and its green initiatives.

Do you know any other companies out there with transparent green marketing philosophies and campaigns?

-JN