“Beyond Green”

By Margie Flynn, Principal and Co-Owner of BrownFlynn

Originally published in Paperboard Packaging on March 1, 2009.

Many leaders today believe “going green” will enable their company to gain competitive advantage and market share, especially during a challenging economy. That may be true, but how deep does the commitment to “green” permeate their organizations? While manufacturing and selling environmentally friendly paperboard and packaging products can increase sales, generate efficiencies and potentially enhance your company’s brand, two key questions remain:

• Is your commitment to green authentic and core to your company’s culture and operations?
• Have you explored the benefits of thinking beyond green to reap the wide-ranging benefits of sustainability?

More consumers are seeking to buy green paperboard packaging, versus plastics and other forms of packaging, but that doesn’t mean they’re overlooking a company’s true intention in selling such products. If a company, on face value, appears to be committed to “green” environmental practices based on its product marketing, yet the majority of its operations and manufacturing processes are brown (far from green), then the company is “greenwashing.”

Greenwashing triggers increased scrutiny and criticism by a multitude of key stakeholders, including customers, shareholders, advocacy groups, and many more. Therefore, before going too far down the green path, be sure to align your internal practices with your external actions and intentions.

But, why stop at just green? Think beyond green. Think sustainability. Companies integrating sustainability into their business operations recognize the convergence of environmental, social and economic values will truly set them apart from the competition. In doing so, your company can create value for customers by providing packaging solutions they want and need to enhance their lives while reaping the benefits of sustainability.

A good example is MeadWestvaco Corp., named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the fifth consecutive year, which believes sustainability is both a business strategy and an ethical imperative. The company sees it as the driving force behind its innovative products and environmentally responsible manufacturing processes. Most importantly, however, it describes sustainability as “the foundation of a company built on integrity, accountability and stewardship.”

In this tough economy, however, does it pay to be sustainable?

The Increasing Importance of Water

Water. 

It covers approximately 70% of our planet.  It’s so ubiquitous that we use it without even thinking.  According to the World Water Institute, a mere 2.5% of the earth’s ground and surface water is fresh and accessible for human use.

The world’s water use has tripled within the past 50 years.  Irrigation and dams built to accommodate this rapid consumption have destroyed half of the world’s wetlands in addition to habitats along 60% of the planet’s largest river systems.

Pesticides and fertilizers have concentrated in what’s left, making it unsafe to swim or fish in nearly 40% of US rivers and streams.  Polluted water sickens close to 3.5 million Americans per year. 

One billion people on the planet don’t have access to clean drinking water at all.  That’s one in six of us.  According to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, 47% of the world’s population will face severe water shortages by 2030.

Water consumption is not just about the length of your showers or how long you let the faucet run.  Unseen quantities of water are used in the making of our jeans, our food, our morning coffee and practically everything else. 

People the world over are beginning to realize the true cost of the products they create and consume.

Water footprinting has become increasingly popular within the past two years.  The water footprint of an individual, community or business is defined as the total volume of freshwater that is used to produce the goods and services consumed by the individual or community or produced by the business.