On ‘Green Business’ Panel Discussion – What It Means to be Green

I was invited to sit in on an open forum panel discussion at the International Housewares Association show while in Chicago a couple of weeks ago. Leading a Green Business was the topic.

Joining me were Bruce Kaminstein, CEO of Casabella, and VP of Bissell, Scott Boles.

What was I doing sitting aside two of the largest cleaning equipment companies? Talking about leading a green company?

Casabella is a huge maker of mops, buckets, brushes, squeegees and stuff for cleaning. They use a lot of plastic. Everything is made in the US. What’s interesting is their recently developed product, Eclipse. Bruce shared some interesting details about the Eclipse. Unfortunately, you won’t find much on their website that talks about the use of recycled soda bottles that go into the making of the Eclipse line of products. With this new product, Casabella has obtained cradle to cradle certification.

Bissell makes vacuum cleaners. Among their dozens of products they offer an ‘Earth Friendly’ assortment of products with recognition from the EPA, and an impressive closed loop approach to creating, shipping and disassembling some select products.

These two companies are making genuine progress towards rethinking some of their products and processes, and using more sustainable practices. I personally commend both for leading by example.

But I also ask the question. Is a enough to market a green product?

Is it enough to jump on the green bandwagon only when it is a hot trend?
Is it enough to change one product while the rest of your range creates potentially harmful effects on the environment?
Is it enough unless change is fully embraced by top management and integrated into the core values of the company and into everything they stand for?

We all did agree on a couple of things. While the importance of a ‘green story’ was relevant to consumers, not at the expense of design, quality and value. These are paramount in purchase making decisions. Yet, the important of a ‘being green’ is more meaningful today than ever. But it has to be more than words. I talk about ‘Deed’ brands in my remarks.

An audio broadcast of the discussion is available here.

As the wave builds and messages collide, there is a real need for affirmation and verification. Whether it is Cradle to Cradle or material certification, or Fair Trade, or other, consumers are going to increasingly believe companies less, and impartial third parties more. People will look for the assurance of third party verifiers to help them navigate through the green tides. I begun this post last week. And sure enough, The Wall Street Journal publishes this article on certification and greenwashing.

We presented a few slides.

The New Rules in the Green Economy

Be Brutally Honest
Transparency Is The New Black
It’s the Journey that Matters
Authenticity is Key

What do I mean by this?

Be true. Get real. Look within. Be honest with yourself and your organization. What do you really stand for? What are your shortcomings?
Transparency is the buzz. Be prepared to show yourself, warts and all. It takes a bit of courage and humility to share it all.
You never quite arrive. There is no perfection. And that’s not the point, is it? Continuous improvement along the entire chain is what is important.
Authenticity relates back to the first point. Look into your soul. Whatever matters there, has to be your guiding force.

We’re encouraged that the Housewares industry is joining in these conversations. I hope there are more. There is much to be gained.

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