Puma rolls out new eco-packaging

When I was growing up, compact discs came in these tall cardboard boxes that were half-empty. It was years before anyone had the bright idea of just shrink wrapping the cd case and calling it a day. Puma just did a very similar thing with the shoe box. To be fair, I've seen shoes sold in bags before. It's still significant that such a large company with a global supply chain has taken a serious move to be more green while really improving the look and feel of it's packaging.

Consuming paper saves trees?

I recently saw this print ad at a bus stop in downtown D.C. The copy is very counterintuitive and kind of cryptic. I can't say that this ad is terribly informative. Is this a tongue-in-check message that we should just read periodicals on the internet to save trees? Is this an ad for the consumption of paper? The ad could be for just about anything and have some "green" argument. So what is the ad for??

As you may have guessed, it is not a sarcastic approach to decrease paper consumption. It is paid for by the Printing and Graphics Association of the Mid-Atlantic. The association's argument goes like this- if we stop consuming paper private landowners that would normally practice sustainable forestry will not replant trees after they are harvested. They will plant some other crop or graze animals instead. In order to maintain sustainable forestry as an industry, you have to make a market for paper by consuming it.

The most disturbing thing about this argument is that it is somewhat logical at first glance. If there is no market for paper made from trees, no one will plant trees that can be harvested later.

Ok, back to reality. The campaign's website claims that landowners are constantly faced with a choice of how to utilize their land and derive income from it. The message makes it sound like forests and soy beans have the same life cycle. The fact is that when a landowner replants trees the income from those trees isn't typically realized for another generation. These landowners are planting trees while thinking about their children. Besides, are landowners considering getting into some completely different industry that may or may not be suited to their land and climate overnight because I buy recycled paper? Please.

Just to be clear. I am all for sustainable forestry. It's a great alternative to logging old-growth and I do see the point. However, I think it's irresponsible to make the claim that going paperless in your office is environmentally irresponsible.

What this really highlights is how important it is to actually think things through before you commit to some paid media campaign that is tugging on your green heartstrings.

Nestle vs. Greenpeace on palm oil

Greenpeace recently launched a viral video aimed at exposing Nestle's use of rainforest destroying palm oil in candy products. There has been a lot of buzz around the video. It's kind of gross and it's embedded below. Greenpeace backers are all about it and think it's incredibly effective. Treehugger is reporting that Nestle has backed down as a result of the ad and is not longer using palm oil. The Nestle corporate site tells another story. It claims that palm oil is not a major ingredient in its dairy and confectionery products that the company is already committed to using only sustainable palm oil by 2015. Either way, we can commend Greenpeace for getting attention and Nestle for taking corporate responsibility seriously.

Greening a brand takes a commitment.

A lot of companies like to talk about how they care about the environment. And a lot companies are hollow in their commitment and their ads demonstrate as much. I get annoyed when I see chevron ads reminding me to quit wasting electricity. Why? So I’ll feel better about wasting gas?



Or even better, telling me I should bike to work 3 days out of the year. That’s a whopping 1.1% of total work days in a year. Really, that is Chevron's commitment? This doesn't even mention the fact that Chevron is reflecting the call to action on us and not making any commitment on its own. I understand that Chevron is in the business of selling oil so my suggestion is finding some other way to go green. Assuming, you know, that they do care.



The cynic in me can’t help but think that marketing executives are sitting around saying things like, “My daughter keeps talking about some green movement. How do we get this money? Let’s call the agency and get a new logo with a leaf on it.” I’m sure if works in general but there has to be a better way to integrate green initiative into a company’s strategy and then brag about it in your marketing.

I’m not rewriting the book here and companies do this. I was reminded of how it can be done well with a recent Sun Chip ad. The Frito Lay subsidiary enlisted Robert Maya to direct a great ad that simply demonstrates the company’s new compost-able packaging. Great, an ad that gives me something tangible this company is doing to be greener.



Huh? What’s that at the end? http://www.greeneffect.com ? Wow they are working with the National Geographic. From a snack food company’s perspective can you think of a better co-branding partner than NatGeo? Laawdy this campaign is winning from an integrated communications standpoint.

For the record, this isn’t new for Sun Chips. They’ve been this kind of thing for a minute. Here’s another example of an ad from 2008 that I think is great.