There is technology for the printing industry that has a proven track record for 20 years. It has showed that a 25 to35% reduction in ink,50% drop in washup materials, 50% drop in fountain solution usage. The technology was dropped by some of some the the 10 ten ink providers in the world. The impact on their revenue would be to dramatic. I have been using this technology since 1992. The printing industry in the USA could become the green poster child of the world if this would be implemented.

Nice post, Suzanne! Joel started an intriguing conversation, but I'm with you regarding the "how". Motivating change is a mysterious business, but it's the effect, and the accumulation of that effect, that has the ultimate impact.

Dead Marketing ! Is what above stated .................Cannibalization the correct term for it ! Let's compare with What If Go with trend " The Dead " here ! What discussed above

To feel more comfortable - Post Purchase Behavior " Ethics "
To gain peace of mind - Pre Purchase if " Knowledge Consumers " , Post Purchase " Value " ..... Ethics

To limit the chemicals their families are exposed to ...... " Pamphlets " etc ... Tutoring Consumers " Ethics " !

To feel independent .... Buyers Decision " Ethics " Marketer's Supply = Consumers Demand

To have something beautiful........ Value again " Ethics "

The Innovation ahead is what One Soap Wrap addresses the product bundling , by integrating the use of laundry Detergent Vs Hand Soap ..... with a single purchase !

Does it adds comparatively value to the Consumer Base and diversification Value to the Marketers !

Was it a Gimmick !

Cheer Consumers

Joymalya Chakraborty

I’m with you. The motive for buying green isn’t what counts; it’s the effect on the planet. If organic and low-energy items sell because they taste better or lower energy costs, so be it. What also counts is that many of these products are manufactured and sold by socially responsible companies who donate money to nonprofits or insist on a sustainable supply line. That, too, helps the world. All good.
Moreover, I think we do a disservice to the people who are trying to be environmental conscious by setting the bar too high. No one is perfect. Let’s rejoice in steps toward perfection.

CTP's tag-line is "Helping the Environment, one bottom-line at a Time". As Suzanne and Michael have articulated in their articles, green marketing for the sole purpose of being 'green' is often a slippery slope. There are political leanings to consider, profitability pressures, general skepticism and other factors that can undermine the green message.

I think that in both CTP's case and the broader picture of sustainability, the end goals are better served by tying sustainability to operational efficiency, customer satisfaction and, ultimately, profitability.

Ms. Shelton's rebuttal makes me consider what it is that drives customers to make buying decisions. My company, Thermal Mechanics, Inc., sells the most energy efficient HVAC equipment available on the market today for commercial buildings. Do we sell based on Green Products? No. We sell on the most energy efficient systems because these are the least costly to operate. We have retrofited schools with our Variable Refrigerant Volume system and obtained both heating and cooling of the buildings for the cost of heating alone with the old system. Did the school decide to use our product based on the impact on the environment? No, their decision was based on the money savings. The Green impact was a side benefit. My point is that consumers, whether individuals or companies, make their buying decisions base upon cost and perceived value. Only if the cost of the Greener product is a small amount higher will the consumer make the Green choice. As Ms. Shelton stated, "That is dead. In fact, it was mostly never alive.", regarding the it'll save the planet is true. This is because buying decisions are made cost and perceived value rather than environment impact.

As Adam Smith wrote in 1759 in his book, The Theory of Moral Sentiments, we have a desire to see our society flourish and are chagrined at its demise. Witness the rise of citizens in Egypt, Libya and other countries in which the people finally rose against the tyrants as evidence of Smith's theory put into practice.

Here's Smith's passage:

“Man, it has been said, has a natural love for society, and desires that the union of mankind should be preserved for its own sake, though he himself was to derive no benefit from it.

The orderly and flourishing state of society is agreeable to him, and he takes delight in contemplating it. Its disorder and confusion, on the contrary, is the object of his aversion, and he is chagrined at whatever tends to produce it.

He is sensible, too, that his own interest is connected with the prosperity of society, and that the happiness, perhaps the preservation of his existence, depends on its preservation. Upon every account, therefore, he has an abhorrence at whatever can tend to destroy society, and is willing to make use of every means, which can hinder so hated and so dreadful an event.”