Many companies use plastic in their products, packaging and packing of their packaged products – which amounts to a lot of responsibility for the customer and end consumer! 27% of PET containers were recycled in 2008, which pales in comparison to the 2,500,000 plastic bottles that Americans use every hour.[1],[2] Environmental groups say one of the biggest problems with plastic bottles is that consumers do not recycle them. So, how responsible are the new plant-based and compostable packages?
sustainable
Adventures at Wal-Mart!
Yesterday our team took a trip to the local Wal-Mart, and we were on a mission: to hunt down products that we feel have opportunities for improvement in various areas of sustainability. Hallie, our fearless mission leader, provided us with a helpful list of questions to answer in our search for said products. One of our tasks was to find a product that had extraneous packaging (makeup is a great example). Upon finding this product, we were to brainstorm how this product might creatively reduce their packaging.
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Risk Aversion for Sustainable Product Development
A distinguishing difference between the hippies of past and the sustainability movement of the present is that we’ve figured out that it’s easier to tackle environmental issues from the inside of a company than it is to protest from the outside.
Dave Nash, of the environmental law firm McMahon DeGulis, visited our office today to talk about how BrownFlynn can help companies implement changes to become more environmentally and socially responsible, all while benefiting their bottom line. McMahon DeGulis is a boutique firm that specializes in helping companies integrate sustainability from both a risk management and an opportunity standpoint.
Something memorable that came out of this meeting was what Dave had to say about product development. Sustainability can be a great source of innovation in addition to allowing the avoidance of future risks and litigation for new products.
Often, however, the existing regulatory structure doesn’t know how to deal with new “green” products. For example, the government is taking a new “green cleaning” product company to task with various legal requirements, even though the company’s products are a far safer alternative to cleaning than their toxic counterparts that don’t face the same requirements.
To avoid this problem, you can hire a legal advisor who specializes in environmental law (such as those at McMahon DeGulis) during your product development stage in order to build a strong regulatory stance for your new sustainable product. This way, you create a product that can withstand the lagging regulatory environment of today and that will avoid risk and litigation in the future.
Not to mention the brand enhancement and consumer preference you will gain from creating innovative products that benefit the enviroment, society, and your company’s bottom line.
Green Paper Products
This is a shout-out to a local company who provides 100% biodegradeable and compostable paper products. An associate from the company was nice enough to give us a call and make us aware they are in our area (they’re located on Mayfield Road). They sell everything from plates, cups and silverware to trash bags and food containers. Check out their website at www.greenpaperproducts.com for more information.
P&G makes philanthropy sustainable
Today’s Cincinnati Enquirer features an article on Procter & Gamble’s philanthropic strategy. And guess what? Their strategy works! It not only benefits millions through its philanthropic efforts, but shareholders of P&G are also gaining value—now that’s what we BrownFlynner’s call a “winner”! When a company can engage in the community it serves and, in turn, help the company’s reputation and financial bottom line, the result is sustainable philanthropy. What other companies are out there that can share their winning and sustainable philanthropic stories?
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