What are the benefits of a company going green?

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF A COMPANY GOING GREEN?

There are a lot of benefits if your company descides to go green. Several things can be the cause of going green: an environmentally-conscious employee, a purchaser who is really carefull on the level of green marketing or an executive who is interested and believes in eco-consciousness within her company’s brand.

Going green can have plenty of benefits and could inspire others to follow the one’s who does this. If your greening efforts are paying off, you should share the good news with the press and tell them how you did it. You will get huge attention.

COST SAVINGS FROM DECREASED ENERGY USE

As the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy let to believe, is that the equipment that we use in our workplace accounts for the fastest growing use of electricity in the United States. Whatever your company do, whether your employees have made a concerted effort to shut off all the equipment at night, all those things will save energy. Energy can be saved up to 60 procent.

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS FROM DECREASED RESOURCE CONSUMPTION

The use of paper each year has to decrease! Employees these days are way to generous in using paper. Reducing your company’s consumption of paper helps minimize the impact of the pulp and paper industry, which it considers one of the moste environmentally destructive industries in the world. Using recycled paper is a good thing to do in the business world. You will save seven trees and then I've not talked about the other elements that can be saved.

BETTER PRODUCTIVITY

Working in an office where the environment and the atmosphere is comfortable, you will be happier and will foster a better attitude about work. There has been a research about the fact that when the office moved to a new green building, the people were more productive. It increased by 10,9 percent since their work began on their new green office. Even when you haven't undergone a complete facelift, don’t underestimate the power of a sustainable workplace for your people.

Julie Deweerdt 2MA01

Link : http://www.livestrong.com/article/194759-what-are-the-benefits-of-a-company-going-green/

Can promotional merchandise be green?

Can promotional merchandise be green?

Printed material

Can printed promotional campaigns and advertising ever be green? Today the question is if we can go on printing our advertisement on paper and contaminate our nature with this. Or is there a green way of doing this kind of marketing?

Companies feel the pressure of the consumer to not only bring a green product but to do the whole production process in a green way. Also advertising can and should become more sustainable. Consumers want the entire company to be green and they want proof. One of the main tools to promote the products and services are leaflets and brochures. Is there still a place for this in the new world?

Many businesses are well aware that a green business helps to attract costumers. Therefor it is important that you choose your printing company wisely. The first point you should check is if the company is certified by the forest stewardship council (a non-profit organisation that promotes sustainable management). The paper used in these companies can be tracked back to the certified wood that’s grown in their forests.

The additional waste should be another priority for businesses, recycling and processing should happen responsibly. Also make sure you don’t order more promotion than needed. Some printing companies use vegetable based inks; these are less harmful to the environment.

Promotional material

We can ask some questions about the other promotional products too. Some companies claim they produce eco-friendly products but are they as green as they say?

Our office space is full of branded promotional products from pens to mugs, calendars, lighters and so on. The promotional product industry is responsible for an enormous amount of goods that we don’t really need. And if we have those products, nobody really reads the small letters, which says how green they are.

You can buy the most eco-friendly product there is but if it’s produced in China and you have to ship it to Europe, your green promotional material doesn’t mean that much anymore. Companies should check three things before they choose which company they will use for marketing products.

-    The products have to be made from sustainable or recycled materials.

-    The products have to be biodegradable.

-    Corporate Social Responsibility: your main concern is always ethical responsibility

These are some tips to make sure you use sustainable marketing products so the impact on our planet is as low as possible.

Xenia Demeester 2MA01

http://www.greenmarketing.tv/2012/02/03/green-printing-company/

http://www.greenmarketing.tv/2011/11/10/green-promotional-products/

 

Sustainable fashion needs to be design-led

Sustainable fashion needs to be design-led

In our world, style and fashion are really very important. Almost everybody is giving attention to it, even if it is just disliking, they have seen it all. Ethical companies should recognize this and focus on innovation to make sustainability a trend. Eco designers should focus on style to put sustainability on trend; they have the chance to do this.

About then years ago, people saw ecological fashion as fashion of the lower-class. It wasn’t colorful, it didn’t fit well and it was made of old, recycled material. Those people wore the same every day until it was black and dirty. Only real freaks would wear these clothes.

Now a days a lot of people have realized that sustainable fashion is really a good thing. The clothes aren’t looking any different and are fitting really well. Only the production has been improved and is realized with a lot of attention to nature now. They are using different coloring techniques, better printing systems and a more ecological export. I have some examples:  Stella McCartney’s innovative waterless T-shirt, colored by using pressurizes CO2; the shoe rank Mink, using organic vegetarian silks and cottons. Also H&M has his own colorful conscious collection.

But we need to go one step further and really focus on innovation, in the world of fashion everything depends on the image. We need to make ecological fashion and sustainable designs a popular thing. Now already, some famous people are promoting it and wearing that kind of clothing on big events. This is really helping the market grow. Other designers and fashion businesses should also jump in on this new project and improve their production. In this way we can make sustainable fashion a new kind of really wanted fashion.

 Joke verhaegh

2MA01

Growth and sustainability

Growth and sustainability

 A very important question for big businesses is ‘ Are growth and sustainability really going hand in hand’?  When we want to know if companies are thinking about sustainability, they all reply that it is one of the most important points on the agenda. But of course they are talking about a different kind of sustainability. Companies are always thinking about their product and the image of it. That is what should stay at long terms, no matter what!

Not very long ago producers would produce and develop their products without even considering the consequences for nature and environment.

Now time is starting to turn and companies are watching sustainability from another point of view. Not only the profit counts, also the guard of a good and healthy environment is important. Of course the main reason there for is the opinion of the costumers. More and more, they are caring about what happens around them and how they could take care of the planet. This new phenomenon is also known by companies, so they really want to get along with this. They want to express clearly what they do for the environment to win the favor of customers.  When a lot of effort is put in this element of production, customers will appreciate it a lot and it will give you image a boost.

The other way around is also true, when companies are really polluting and harmful for nature, people will dislike the brand and not ever buy it again. They will spread the news and in a short time the company will have no customers left!

So the message is, don’t think about your own sustainability in the first place, but enlarge it to the whole environment. It will only bring you good in all views!

Joke Verhaeghe

2MA01

Coca Cola: Leader in responsible Marketing?

Coca Cola: Leader in responsible Marketing?

This piece is about Coca Cola, whether this company takes good actions to have a sustainable marketing. It’s a fact that they are the leader in soda, but are they also a leader in responsible marketing?

The Coca Cola Company says that they are, particularly if we look at the marketing in media that may be seen or heard by children under age 12. They are specifically not advertising to children younger than 12 and also not to children in general outside the presence of a parent or caregiver. Coca Cola has guidelines for advertising in schools. I’m not startled from reading this; in fact I found it very standard. Little children should be aware that this brand isn’t healthy. Children don’t understand how marketing works, so they should be protected from the hazardous marketing messages.

The Coca Cola Company really involves (almost) every aspect of sustainable marketing. They reckon with recycling, community, ingredients, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, refrigeration and last but definitely not least, the consumers and customers.

On their website, you can see what they are doing for the world to pollute as little as possible.

First of all, they really cherish water. It’s the main ingredient. Coca cola has a special interest in protecting the local water sources that sustain communities because the communities that host our bottling plants are also our consumer bases.

Secondly, they care about energy efficiency and climate protection. Coca Cola isn’t afraid to really show all the results how much gas emission was produced, this by showing charts.

Third and the fourth world aspect they take into account are the packaging and the agriculture.

As you can see they really figured everything out. Whether Coca Cola is really the best, the leader in responsible marketing or not, at least they put a lot of effort to accomplish the best for the environment, and that’s what counts!

http://www.coca-colacompany.com/sustainabilityreport/me/responsible-marketing.html

http://www.coca-colacompany.com/sustainabilityreport/our-reporting/the-coca-cola-system.html

Leylah Alliet 2MA01