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April 25, 2008
In “Climate Change: What’s Your business Strategy?” (Harvard Business Press, $18), due out May 1, 2008, Andrew Hoffman and John Woody – two MBA professors with experience with environmental issues – tell organizations how to measure their carbon footprint, set a climate target that meets the environmental needs of your business, engage your operations in climate change initiatives, and get a seat at the policy development table.
“You can remain completely agnostic about the science of climate change but still recognize its importance as a business issue,” Hoffman and Woody write.
In the 97-page book the authors smartly project that regulations that raise the cost of emissions are beginning to affect how businesses operate.
“… If you’re a business, this is a business issue,” Hoffman told Reuters.
Climate change will also create opportunities, in the form of new demand for green products, which is attracting new investment, the authors note.
“Regulation is coming. If you want a seat at the table to influence what that regulation should be, you’ve got to get on this now,” Hoffman said. “It may even be too late.”
Andrew Hoffman is the Holcim (US) Professor of Sustainable Enterprise at the University of Michigan and Associate Director of the Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise. John Woody is a Deal Associate at MMA Renewable Ventures, a renewable energy firm in San Francisco and formerly the Business Solutions Fellow for the Pew Center on Global Climate Change.
Source: http://www.environmentalleader.com/2008/04/25/green-business-experts-author-climate-change-strategy-book/
April 25, 2008
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) saw a 10 percent increase in trademark filings last year for green-themed marks, making it the busiest year ever for according to a report (PDF) released by the Dechert law firm.
According to the report, “Trends in Trademarks,” filings for new trademarks set a record of more than 300,000 in 2007. The number broke the previous record of 289,000 set in 2000 during the Internet boom.
Applications for everything from “Eco-Friendly” and “Go Green,” to the slightly more creative “Green Is the New Black,” “Red States, Blue States, Green States,” flooded the USPTO office in 2007.
Trademarks with the prefix “eco” were just as hot, also more than doubling, with nearly 900 new applications in 2007, said Glenn Gundersen, chair of Dechert’s trademark practice.
“Next to your backyard ECO POOL, you could mow your forms in over 100 different proposed marks, for ECO LAWN with an ECOMOWER, and water your ECO PLANTS and ECO FLOWERS with an ECO HOSE. Your ECO BABY could play with ECO DOLLS, while you sent your ECO TOTS off to ECO CHILDCARE with an ECO LUNCH, including an ECO APPLE, ECOMILK, and ECO YUMMY snacks.”
Source: http://www.environmentalleader.com/2008/04/25/us-patent-office-swamped-with-eco-applications/
April 23, 2008
According to Natural Marketing Institute’s 2007 LOHAS Consumer Trends Database, price is still a very important factor for determining purchase propensity. As shown in the figure above, nearly 60 percent of U.S. consumers admit that “while they care for the environment, they purchase items based on price” and less than one-third of consumers are willing to pay 20 percent more for environmentally-friendly products. Especially given overall economic stability concerns, manufactures must remain conscious that environmentally-friendly products and services must be moderately priced for mainstream acceptance, according to the report.
Source: http://www.environmentalleader.com/2008/04/23/price-sensitivity-of-environmentally-friendly-products/
April 23, 2008
Wal-Mart has announced an adoption rate increase of 66 percent from last year in its sustainability Live Better Index, which has been tracking consumers’ decisions to purchase five key eco-friendly products since April 2007.
The index follows the adoption rates – sales compared to other products in the category – of five eco-friendly products based on Wal-Mart sales data. The retailer says that an overall adoption rate of these products serves as a nationwide trend indicator of consumer demand for green products.
The data for April 2008 shows a 37 percent increase in adoption of organic milk and a 47 percent increase in adoption of compact fluorescent light bulbs since April 2007.
As a whole, Wal-Mart says that adoption rates of the five sustainable Live Better products have increased significantly over the past year:
1. Compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs – Average adoption rate of 19.7 percent (up from 13.39% in 2007)
* Delaware leads the category with an adoption rate of 25.8 percent
2. Organic baby food and formula – Average adoption rate of 4.12 percent (down from 4.31% in 2007)
* California continues to lead the category with an 8.58 percent adoption rate
3. Organic milk – Average adoption rate of 1.58 percent (up from 1.15% in 2007)
* Virginia has the highest adoption rate of organic milk at 2.7 percent
4. Extended life paper products – Average adoption rate of 67.5 percent (up from 50.77% in 2007)
* Minnesota has the highest adoption rate with 78.1 percent
5. Concentrated/reduced-packaging liquid laundry detergents – Average adoption rate of 76.3 percent (up from 22.86% in 2007)
* Oklahoma leads the category with an adoption rate of 96.3 percent
Wal-Mart is adding new categories including sustainable coffee and eco-friendly cleaning products – the retailer recently introduced Sam’s Choice coffee and Clorox Green Works lines to Wal-Mart stores as part of a major environmental push this month.
See the index here.
Source: http://www.environmentalleader.com/2008/04/23/as-goes-wal-martretailer-says-green-product-adoption-up-in-2007/www.livebetterindex.com
April 22, 2008
Planet Green is hoping to tap into corporate America’s new focus on eco friendliness. The channel will launch June 4th and its programming will be seen on Discovery channels around the world.
Source: http://www.environmentalleader.com/2008/04/22/planet-green-prepares-for-launch/
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