Month: January 2013

When you think of the most common associations that come to mind when you think of the brand name McDonalds, I bet that sustainability is not high on the list. McDonalds has built its brand around providing value, quick service, and fun for the family, so why turn to sustainability now?

The pure volume of food McDonalds produces (to give a rough estimate there are over 33,000 stores around the world) on its own, presents a huge sustainability hurdle to overcome, never mind the fact that this volume is coming from some of the most unsustainable foods out there such as beef. However, that doesn’t seem to be stopping them from trying.

In addition to their recent efforts to reduce animal cruelty in their supply chain, they recently announced that they received the Marine Stewardship Council certification for their U.S. supply chain. This certification requires that McDonalds source fish from suppliers that follow strict standards for ecosystem impact, management, as well as health of fish stock. So for all you lovers of the Filet-O-Fish sandwhich, you can now celebrate the fact that your order will be made with wild-caught Alaska Pollock.

While this certification may seem like a small move for McDonalds, it could have huge effects across the industry since competitors are surely watching, taking note, and will hopefully follow suit. Therefore I do applaud their effort, although doubt it will make much of an impact to consumers. Changing perceptions of a brand that is so strongly associated with their core product offerings such as the Big Mac which are both unsustainable and unhealthy is incredibly tough. Their fish products are still such a small percentage of their overall business that unless they make more dramatic changes to increase the sustainability of their entire supply chain and their sourcing of beef then I don’t think they will be changing the minds of eco-conscious consumers any time soon.

Reference: Mcdonald’s now Serves Certifiably Sustainable Fish, But Does it Matter?

After reading a fellow classmate’s blog post about the underlying intentions of reusable shopping bags (“Green Selling, a Grocery Store’s best friend”) it got me thinking about the impact this new green trend is actually having on the environment. Considering how many times people forget their bags and how many extra bags people possess beyond what they need, is this actually making a difference or do people just do it for the status symbol?

I completely agree with Morgan’s argument that green bags are one easy way a company can make themselves appear to be sustainable. It is so true that most consumers have one too many reusable bags at home, so why are people still buying them? And more importantly, why are manufacturers still producing them despite the fact that the production, transportation, and distribution of them cannot be all that sustainable.

After doing some research of my own, I came across some more shocking news about these seemingly eco-friendly bags. They actually have the potential to kill you.

You’re probably wondering how on earth is that even possible? Well, the big problem, that probably will not come as a surprise to you, is that most people who re-use bags never bother to clean them. And, since only around a quarter of consumers use a separate bag for meat and veggies, who knows what sort of bacteria is being cross contaminated. Well, according to tests, coliform bacteria (mostly harmless) was found in 51% of the bags and E. coli (very risky) was found in 12% of the bags.

Don’t fret, washing the bags reduces bacteria by 99.9%, however, as the writer of a recent Bloomberg article on this topic brings up, is it worth it to risk our lives to save a couple of seabirds choking to death on our plastic bags?

In my opinion it really comes down to how much we as individuals are willing to sacrifice in the name of sustainability. And if it is something we strongly believe in, it is definitely worth understanding all the facts to make sure we are doing no harm to ourselves and to our mother earth.

Packaging: you either love it, hate it, waste it, recycle it, or reuse it, but have you ever thought of turning it into a work of art? That is exactly what Dutch baby stroller manufacturer Joolz has decided to do. By combining just the right mix of innovation and cleverness, they are now trying to do their part to minimize their impact on the environment, and more specifically on consumer waste.

While recycling is always a good option, it doesn’t really add any value to consumers (well other than that warm feeling you get inside from doing something good.) However, Joolz is changing that by essentially giving a second life to their packaging, and more specifically their cardboard boxes. On every box there are printed directions to turn it into a brand new item which could be anything from a lampshade to a birdhouse, a picture frame or a chair, meaning that not only do you get to create something new, but also something that is useful too!

In my opinion this is quite a novel idea. One that may appear intriguing in advertisements, but may not actually be practical in real life.  First of all, what if the item your box can be transformed into isn’t something you would use and second of all if the effort required to make the new product is too high, consumers may not be motivated to do it when throwing it in the trash is so much easier.

So while I appreciate the creativity behind it, before I see some real facts on how many moms are actually spending the time using the new item and most importantly how much waste is being diverted from landfills, I will not yet be a believer. On the flip-side I do think this should be an inspiration to manufacturers around the globe on how to find new, imaginative ways to reinvent tradition and design product packaging that helps rather than hurts our environment.

Reference: Cardboard packaging includes directions for turning it into something new