Month: March 2013

Has it changed how you think about how you live your life as a consumer?

Learning more about sustainability definitely made me a more conscious consumer in terms of what I buy when I go to grocery stores, I tend to look at the description more to see where the ingredients are produced, and often time go for products that are produced locally not only it cost less but it also is more sustainable. I also would always bring my own water bottle when I leave the house to avoid buying plastic bottles that I know I will have to get rid of later on.

Has it changed how you think about business?

Different companies are motivated to becoming more green for different reasons, but overall, by adopting and becoming more sustainable help companies countless benefits such as to enhance brand image and increase their competitive advantage in the market. Further more, through development of more sustainable practices, efficiency is more likely to increase, because of better use of resources, operations costs will also decrease saving firms massive amount of money.

My perspective about sustainable living and sustainability society, knowing that every action I take could contribute to how the world is going to be in the future. If the society continue to embrace the importance of sustainable community and are more actively involved, the Earth could look exactly the same as it did at the beginning.

I recently come across reading about a manufacturer of paint who was supplying additive free paints, but also supplying them in dry powder form so you mix them with water on-site.  This really captured my imagination because it ticked so many boxes, little water used in the manufacture, not spending resources transporting lots of bulky, heavy water in the paint, using less fuel and less pollution, and the benefits goes on.

That got me thinking about how much other things we consume that requires water as one of their main ingredient. If we could use dry ingredients and mix them ourselves would that not be infinitely more sensible?

Many soft drink product contains minimum of 50 percent of water: I recycle a lot and use isotonic and hi-carb drinks most of which are available in powder form, yet shelves are full of ready mixed soda, non 100% fruit juice, and sports drinks which contain mainly water. There would seem to be a big product development opportunity here. Not only could we make a contribution in minimize the need in shipping a huge quantity of water from one location to another, but the cost of transportion could as well be cut dramatically. This benefits not only the company but to the environment and much more.

Water will become an increasingly valuable commodity: already water companies are planning for the future and looking to sophisticated demand management schemes. Perhaps we can start thinking about dry product/ingredients that could potentially be cost saving for all parties!

What does it really means when people say biodegradable product vs. compostable product? People often associate both as the same, in fact, compostable and industrial compostable are different. Look around you. Everything you see right now is biodegradable. From the flat panel large screen TV to the plastic fork in you fast food bag. It’s the perfect term for the greenwasher because “biodegradable” only means that a material will break down “over a period of time.” It could take a year, ten years, or ten thousand years. It’s all biodegradable.

On the other hand, “compostable” actually means something. To use that term a product or material must obtain a specific scientific criteria. Essentially, a material must break down into measurably tiny and environmentally benign parts within a specifically limited time frame.

To avoid “greenwashing” a company should clarify which environment (home or industrial). Many consumers believe the two terms mean the same. A compostable plastic is not inherently better for the environment. Dont be green washed!

Pacific Centre Mall, in the high-fashion heart of Vancouver, is probably not a place you associate with sorting trash. Yet that is exactly what they do, from the cardboard, plastic and returnables from merchants and customers to the organic compost diversion in the food court. Throw in a bit of waste-to-energy from the stuff that can’t be segregated and you have a Zero Waste Shopping Mall.

So how do you tell that story in a way that appeals to the fashionistas while still include the sustainability branding of parent company?

Well, consumers enjoys a decent sale.

By framing the ‘Green At Work’message in a 100% OFF price tag format, Unicycle Creative got instant shopper attention and described Pacific Centre’s waste diversion rate in one clean graphic.

The team at Pacific Centre went one step further, designing an in-mall Recycled Runway Fashion Show, using local artists to create a stunning ready to wear again collection. Unicycle designed a pair of banners to frame the show and communicate key zero waste messages.

Shopping isn’t disappearing anytime soon. I personally believe that putting sustainability on the radar of fashion shoppers is an important step in creating the conditions that will put pressure on all parts of the retail supply chain to green up their act and zero waste can be a good solid start.