Marketing & Communications

Green and sustainabilty marketing present unique challenges, not the least of which is the lack of standards for determining what it means to be a green and sustainable product -- or a green company. Along with the rise of green consumers, we see the rise of ecolabeling, green advertising and the importance of environmental reporting. That creates the opportunity for just about anything to be marketed as green, from simple packaging changes to products and services that radically reduce materials, energy, and waste. In this section GreenBiz looks the marketing strategies and tools companies are successfully using in conveying "green" as a component of their value proposition.

News

Embrace Sustainability or Put Your Business at Risk
By Peter Graf, March 19, 2010
Smart companies like Nike, Coca-Cola and Nestle have figured out that if you don't change the way you operate -- and the way your supply chain operates -- you're potentially putting your entire...
Simple Tools for Effective Climate Reporting ClimateBiz.com
By Ryan Schuchard, BSR, March 17, 2010
Until now, companies have lacked direction on how to report on climate policy engagement. This primer covers what companies are reporting today, what we recommend companies focus on going...
Nike's Sustainability Journey: 15 Years and Going Strong
By Sarah Severn, March 12, 2010
When Nike first began incorporating sustainability into its business practices, the risks and opportunities we grappled with seemed distant indeed, even non-existent to most businesses....
Getting a Green Brand on the Customer's Radar
By Jeff Dubin, March 12, 2010
New products aspiring to be labeled green should be preoccupied with passing muster with the arbiters of what's green, be they NGOs, consumers, or ratings agencies. The reality, though, is that...
The Evolution of Innovative Green Brands
By Marc Stoiber, March 11, 2010
As consumers, we define ourselves by the brands we keep. We believe in them, yet they seldom give us new reasons to do so. But that's changing now as we find ourselves in the early stages of a new...
What Your Employees Know About Green Innovation That You Don't
By Marc Stoiber, March 08, 2010
Engagement is the mot du jour today. It's being pitched as a new religion, buoyed by the social media wave; however, behind all the hype is a remarkably simple concept: If you need help, ask....

The Problems with 'Natural' Products -- and How to Fix Them
By Diane MacEachern, March 19, 2010
Products like lead-laden lipstick and nuclear-colored gummy worms claim they're "natural." How come the Natural Products Association's new label doesn't fix that? ...

Newswire

Editor's Choice

Nanomaterials: Why Your Company Should Sweat the Small Stuff

Richard Liroff, September 09, 2009

Nanomaterials are an industrial revolution in a microcosm with the potential to yield extraordinary health, environmental and other global social benefits. But they're substantially unregulated,...

Walmart's Sustainability Index: The Hype and the Reality

Joel Makower, July 16, 2009

Now that Walmart has finally unveiled its audacious Sustainability Index, it's time to take a more sober assessment of what's really going on here. In short, there is both more and less going on...

State of Green Business

Design & Packaging

Green Business and Cleantech Find Common Purpose: The State of Green Business 2010
By Joel Makower, February 16, 2010
After many years of operating in separate worlds, sustainable business practices and green technology are finding common cause for the greater good. ...
Packaging Companies Rethink the Box: The State of Green Business 2010
Food Companies Put Their Supply Chains on the Menu: The State of Green Business 2010
Toxics Become a Strategic Issue: The State of Green Business 2010
IT Aims to Save the World: The State of Green Business 2010
Greener Fleets Hit the Streets: The State of Green Business 2010

Tropicana Shrinks Juice Boxes Due to Orange Crop Failure
By GreenerDesign Staff, March 16, 2010
Tropicana is shrinking its most popular size of orange juice by five ounces due to freezes in January that put the squeeze on orange crops.
...
P&G Launches U.S. Campaign to Highlight 'Future Friendly' Products
Walmart, Tesco Vendors Get Supply Chain Help from Five Winds
ExxonMobil Takes Third Place in Big Oil Sustainability Rankings
Tesco, Nestle Among UK Firms Planning Big Packaging Cuts
Cradle to Cradle Certifications Top 300 GreenerDesign.com

State of Green Business 2010

In the just-published State of Green Business 2010 report, we take an extensive look at the data behind the move toward making mainstream businesses greener.

Click here to read all of our in-depth coverage of the State of Green Business, and to download the report.

Professional Services Directory

Find great professional service providers who specialize in green business. GreenBiz.com's Professional Services Directory lists great resources in sustainability strategies, energy efficiency, marketing, supply chain, recruiting and HR, and many more.

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Featured Resources

Energy Star, Shining Bright?
This report from EcoAlign's EcoPinion series of surveys explores how the Energy Star...
Tapping the Untapped
The startup Aquacue offers a look at the innovations that landed it among the 10...
Clean Energy Trends 2010
This eighth annual Clean Energy Trends report takes stock of the sector against the...
The Responsibility Revolution
This book from Seventh Generation's Jeffrey Hollender and Bill Breem equips people with...
Inside Cisco's Sustainable Packaging Project
This slideshow from Cisco Systems outlines some of the steps the company has taken to...
Greenhouse Gas Management for Medium-Duty Truck Fleets ClimateBiz.com
This white paper from Environmental Defense Fund and fleet management company PHH Arval...

State of Green Business Forum Highlights

In 2010, we're bringing our acclaimed State of Green Business Forum to San Francisco and Chicago, digging in to the research in the annual State of Green Business report to discover recent trends in green business and hear from industry experts about what the future will hold. Read all our coverage of the events here.

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Recent Podcast

Pouring Out a New Look for Milk
By Jonathan Bardelline, February 25, 2010
Julie Corbett, founder of Ecologic Brands, the company that developed a new paper-plastic hybrid milk packaging, speaks about the inspiration behind the package and the tests they've done with...
Listen

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Green Confidence Index™

A monthly metric on responsibility, information, and purchasing in the green economy. The Green Confidence Index is the first ongoing consumer study of its kind. Learn More.

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