Brandweek got together with Frito-Lay vp-marketing Gannon Jones about the recent success of a previously less-than stellar (pun intended) product – Sun Chips. Sales for Sun Chips are up 17.6%, or $201.8 million for the 52 weeks ending June 15.

Back in 2006, when Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth came out, (can you believe it has only been two years?!), Mr. Jones says he and his colleagues really began thinking about how to connect Sun Chips with the environment and people’s health. The brand began offering 18 grams of whole grain, low sodium, no trans-fat and installed solar panels at their production plant in Modesto, CA.

What has really made it work for Sun Chips?

As we’ve said before, any company that wants going green to be a profitable, positive, lasting experience needs to make being green a part of daily operations. In this interview Gannon Jones speaks to that same point –

“One thing also learned about green brands and believe very much is that the brands that are most successful in speaking about green make it core to their business strategy. It’s not something you can treat as a consumer promotion and do it for three months and move to the next promotion. Like Prius and Stonyfield Farms who make it core to brand operations, that’s something we believed in. We needed to take a series of steps.”

More on Green Strategies for Business?

Do we Need to Hire an Energy Management Person?

How to Take Your Business Green – Green Strategy

and much, much more you might even read how a PA-based paper company has gone green in Dunder Mifflin Goes Green

A recent survey done by the Shelton Group called “Eco Pulse”, suggests that consumers are confused about what makes a “green” product “green”. One of the questions in the survey, for example, asked consumers to name what features a home would need to have before it would be considered a “green” home. Almost half (42%) had no idea, 28% said it would need some kind of solar power, 12% mentioned using fluorescent light bulbs and another 10% cited Energy Star appliances.

Before we go any further – is this is a surprise? Though many of the eco-friendly products out there have been around for a while, the interest in green products seems to have appeared overnight. Does the average consumer really know anything about the key attributes of a product they buy? What makes a soda “Lite”? I don’t have the foggiest what key component(s) in my Core2Duo processor makes it “blazing fast”. The myriad of certifications, approvals, pats-on-the-back, etc that have shown up to help guide consumers through the maze of green products – has really just muddied the water.

The research continued by asking consumers about the importance of a company’s eco-record. While 49% of the people asked said that a company’s eco-record is important, only 21% said they had purchased a company’s product because of their eco-record with only 7% remembering the name of the product.

Suzanne Shelton, CEO of the firm that conducted the research stated –

“If you were an alien and you landed on the planet in April of this year, you would think that the ‘green’ market was pretty mature because you’d be hearing about it everywhere—every newspaper, every TV show you turn on somebody is talking about being green. But this is not a mature market.”

Some more interesting findings from the report –

- Most Americans put their personal comfort ahead of the environment. When asked, “Given a choice between your comfort, your convenience or the environment, which do you most often choose?” Forty-six percent chose comfort and 31% chose the environment.
- A significant number (40%) admitted to negative or ambivalent responses (”skeptical,” “irritated,” “guilty” or “unaffected”) to increased media attention regarding our impact on the environment, while 60% answered in a positive fashion (”better educated” or “glad”).
- When asked, “How much do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Global warming, or climate change, is occurring, and it is primarily caused by human activity.” Fifty-seven percent agreed or strongly agreed with this statement.

- When asked why most companies that adopt environmentally friendly practices do so, the most common response (47%) was “to make their company look better to the public.” Only 13% believed it was “because their owners/shareholders care about the environment.”

Back in March of this year we identified GE as a leader in the Green Business Movement. Based on recently released reports their ecomagination initiative is more successful than anticipated - and not by just a little bit. So how actually is GE’s Ecomagination initiative doing?

According to Sustainable Life Media, “Revenues from the Ecomagination portfolio have crossed $14 billion, according to GE’s third-annual report on the initiative, released today. With revenues likely to pass $20 billion by 2009 – a year ahead of schedule – GE says it is raising its revenue goal to $25 billion by 2010. (Expect this target to be revised again; GE claims it has $70 billion worth of Ecomagination orders currently on the books.)”

GE is also going to use products from its portfolio of Ecomagination products to help achieve its own sustainability goals. GE is reportedly ahead of schedule to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 30% this year and improve energy efficiency 30% by the end of 2012.

According to GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt, “Ecomagination is one of the most successful cross-company business initiatives in our recent history. It is a clear amplifier of our strong reputation for innovation and execution, harnessing the strength of every GE business to maximize returns for GE investors while minimizing our own energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.”

Thanks to the the crew over at the greenset for the news on the world’s first sustainable biodegradable umbrella. The Brelli, the first 100% biodegradable umbrella, is made of bamboo and a clear bio-plastic parasol-like frame and breaks down within the first 2 years of showing up in a landfill. Unfortunately, the umbrella is not for sale yet but maybe if you give them a holler and are really, really nice they’ll let you order over the phone.

Eco-Friendly & Fair Labor Clothing
http://www.sattlerclothing.com

According to the annually released National Technology Readiness Survey (NTRS), “Americans’ appetite for environmentally friendly technologies and consumer products is grossly underserved, with a potential $104 billion in sales this year. The annual survey — sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Service at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business and technology research firm Rockbridge Associates Inc. — found that 71 percent of adults are interested in green technology, but there is a large gap between the number of products consumers own now and the number they say they would like to own.

The $104 billion market opportunity represents the annual sales potential of the 11 product categories measured in the NTRS. More than half, $54 billion, is the potential for sales of eco-friendly vehicles, including high-mileage, hybrid fuel, biofuel, and alternative-fuel vehicles. Researchers measured respondents’ interest levels for each of the eco-friendly product categories and calculated market value based on average selling prices.

“The key to tapping this huge potential market is targeting and appropriately addressing the green consumer,” said P.K. Kannan, director of the Center for Excellence in Service. “Our research found that green technology trends are led by a small, yet powerful group of influencers that actively act as evangelists to a secondary group of adopters.”

The NTRS classifies respondents into six segments based on their commitment to green technologies, their influence on others on being green, their skepticisms about green and their interest in technology. The survey finds that those most committed to the environment — 10 percent of adult consumers — are also very enthusiastic about technology. These “green tech leaders” are the same consumers who are often approached by others for advice on technology and the latest gadgets and devices. The researchers urge marketers to target this segment when introducing green products and services.

“There is a great opportunity for firms to not only target these green tech leaders to adopt their eco-friendly products and services, but also use them to get the word out,” Kannan said. “This market segment tends to be younger, heavier users of online social media and more enthusiastic about technology in general. They write blogs and advise others, and they also create a strong social networking effect that is critical for diffusing green technology to the larger market.”

“Marketers also need to be mindful of their message,” said Charles Colby, president of Rockbridge Associates. “Consumers are quite sensitive to companies that don’t follow through on their promises. Firms that misrepresent or exaggerate the benefits of their eco-friendly technology may find it backfires with consumer hostility or rejection.”

2007 NTRS Findings

- 83 percent of adults want to preserve and protect the environment

- 42 percent of adults said products and services that help the environment are hard to find

- 59 percent of adults say they like trying new technologies that help the environment

- 56 percent of adults say gadgets designed to help the environment would be fun to own

- 68 percent of adults like to do business with companies that are environmentally responsible

- 72 percent of adults say they resent companies who say they care about the environment but are not sincere

Eco-Friendly & Fair Labor Clothing
http://www.sattlerclothing.com 

According to an article in the Progressive Grocer more Americans are supporting eco-friendly products with their shopping habits. The article cites research from Chicago-based market research company, Mintel, that reveals that” over one-third of adults surveyed (36 percent) claim to “regularly” buy green products. Just 16 months ago, only 12 percent said they “regularly” purchased green products.”

Even more interesting the study revealed that “the number of people who say they “never” purchase green products has been cut in half over the past 16 months.” Apparently, in August 2006, only one in five Americans (20 percent) claimed to “never” buy green products whereas now, only 10 percent of the population claims to never purchase eco-friendly products.

Colleen Ryan, senior analyst at Mintel, said that “We’re seeing the green movement rapidly transition from niche to mainstream. Major companies have jumped onboard, promotional messages have changed, and the American public is increasingly looking at green products as a normal part of everyday life.”

According to Ryan the increase in consumer support for eco-friendly products is being spearheaded by the 18-24 year olds where 51% claim to purchase green products “regularly” compared to the 31-36% of regular green shopping done by older adults.

“Tech-savvy young adults have been key in the green movement’s success,” said Ryan. “This suggests a bright future for green products, as young adults will carry their habits and beliefs with them as they age.”

Hopefully. This isn’t the first time something has picked up speed with trend conscious youth behind it only to plummet as the movement slips towards uncool.

Want to be more green?

Some cool eco-friendly products that we like -

Portable Solar

USB Cell Batteries

Elephant Poo Paper

Well, we’ve talked plenty about Wal-Mart and its efforts to be more eco-friendly, now lets talk about Nordstrom. A company on the opposite end of the retail spectrum than Wal-Mart. According to DDI Magazine -

“Seattle-based Nordstrom Inc. announced plans to transition to environmentally friendly packaging throughout 2008. The eco-friendly packaging will include fully recyclable shopping bags, gift boxes and reusable shopping totes. The new offerings will roll out from April 2008 through September 2008, as the company works through its existing supply of bags. West Coast stores will have access to reusable shopping bags as early as March 15, 2008, and 100 percent recyclable gift boxes will hit stores during the 2008 holiday season. “We know our customers care about the environment and this is an effort to serve them better and reduce our impact,” said Erik Nordstrom, president of stores. “We will continue to look for ways we can be a better corporate citizen.” Nordstrom operates 157 stores in 27 states.”

3 months into 2008 and some really neat things in the whole green movement are happening. It is good to see more and more companies investing in green technology and measures to reduce its carbon footprint. It tells us that their is enough demand out there (and people are willing to pay extra) for eco-friendly products that companies are responding.

Nordstrom Press Release

Eco-Friendly & Fair Labor Clothing
http://www.sattlerclothing.com 

Interesting video with Scott Lee, CEO Walmart

Looks like Park City, Utah is going green. Tom Bakaly, the city manager of this ski resort town in northern Utah, created a Sustainability Team comprised of 2 groups; a Sustainability Visioning Team and a Sustainability Implementation Team. Bakaly also appointed two full-time individuals to execute the town’s sustainability objectives. Alison Butz and Phyllis Robinson accepted the positions of Envrionmental Affairs and Project Manager and Community and Public Affairs Managers respectively. The two will now join Patrick Putt, the Planning Director and third member of the Sustainability Visioning Team. The efforts come as part of the town’s effot to reflect community priorities and City Council goals relating to ‘creating a sustainable community’. No real clear objectives appear to be delineated quite yet other than providing a consultative role to the community and City Council as to the impact of City actions and initiatives. Now they just need an eco-friendly clothing store on this street somewhere.