This title fits perfectly with my blog post, because when it comes down to it, being “Green,” has no universal meaning, and the definition depends and varies from person to person. To some, being green means that the product/service is healthy for them, it might mean to others that it’s recyclable and to some it may mean that it was ethically produced— green has many definitions, in which I hope one day a standardized definition can be created and universally understood.
It can even be argued that there is no such thing as a truly “green” product at all, as several green products on the market, actually take a lot more resources and energy to create them and in turn creates a lot of waste. Or often they may be green in one circumstances and not in another, like with Hybrid cars whom have batteries that are hazardous to expose of and bad for the environment. Additionally, often creating greener packages even requires more materials–so again cancelling out the cost and environmental savings.
In the industry there is a tool that combats this problem called the life-cycle assessment (LCA.) This tool essentially does a cradle to grave analysis on different products that companies have. This is very helpful as companies can use it to identify opportunities or areas where they can improve within their product’s product life cycle– from the manufacturing stage, raw materials or even to waste. It’s very valuable in particular for addressing energy usage and assessing where it can be improved.
The government is also trying to legitimize LCA and create a standardized system of analysis. Then it could be used as a marketing tool for the industry, which in my opinion would be VERY useful for consumers like myself who would want FULL transparency.
What would you guys think a LCA rating or badge that can be branded into product packages as an indicator of TRUE GREEN RATING? Do you think this would be a good idea?
Comment below your thoughts!
This is a great point – there’s clearly a need for widely accepted definitions and certifications for sustainable products. OceanWise is a good example of a step in the right direction, but we definitely need more – maybe something like this on all products sold in Canada:
https://pubs.acs.org/cen/_img/88/i19/8819sci1_efactsbig_lg.jpg
Also, you can find some LCA calculators online for free in the meantime! Check it out: http://www.lcacalculator.com/
Hi Kelly,
Great topic! I personally define ‘green’ as any initiative taken by a company that is more sustainable than those taken before or had they not implemented the said change. Indeed, companies can never truly go ‘green’ in terms of having zero negative externalities imposed upon any stakeholder because attached to any product are the resources required in order to create. Generally however, as we have discussed in class today, the level of green does not directly differentiate products to me–whether a product is derived from 50% fair trade ingredients or 25% I would still call it green as it is derived from ‘green-er’ sustainable practices than had it been created from zero fair trade materials. Yes! green is in the eye of the beholder, as Im sure we all define such efforts differently.
Reflecting the LCA into prices would be extremely amazing to see happen in the future. Having this direct link would also increase transparency and encourage businesses to move towards more sustainable processes in order to minimize costs, which would can then be reflected in its ability to lower the prices they charge to consumers. These efforts have the potential to efficiently integrate green into the core of businesses in order to not just conserve resources for the future or save the planet but also reduce cost and therefore increase profits, which makes complete economic sense for any business looking to exist in the long run.
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