Jacquie Ottman's
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Earth to Eco-Labels: Be Consumer Useful or Wither From Lack of Relevance
August 10, 2011 by Jacquelyn Ottman
Everyone lauds eco-labels being put forth by such sustainability leaders as Timberland, HP and Levi’s for transparency and commitment, but are they really all that useful to consumers? Likely not. These labels may be informative and project credibility, but I believe their usefulness can—and must—be taken up a notch.
An eco-label’s greatest value is not its ability to simply convey environmental stewardship; rather, an eco-label’s worth lies in how clearly it relates green qualities to what I call “consumer-useful” information. Labels with consumer-useful information put the practical, valuable aspects of a product’s environmental attributes front and center. Such labels allow consumers to quantify savings or other sources of added value over the course of a product’s entire lifecycle.
I believe almost every eco-label up until this point has fallen short
of this goal —except for the new EPA fuel-economy label, that is. In
terms of consumer relevance, the EPA Fuel Economy label sets the bar for
a future of eco-labels that motivate rather than simply educate.
Yes, this EPA label can be applauded for its highly thorough information on greenhouse gas and smog ratings, but its real value lies in its ability to show consumers at the point of sale how much money they can save by buying a greener car. Thus, this label’s most consumer-useful information is the data on estimated annual fuel costs and the fuel savings projected over five years of the car’s ownership.
However ironic it may seem for a green label, this latter information will likely shift more car sales than the environmental data that’s provided due to its practicality (It’s OK to sneak green past consumers, folks.)
It’s the planets, babies and daisies thing all over again.
If our
eco-labels only boast of “planet-saving” attributes, their allure will
be short-lived and their impact will be limited. In a marketplace
proliferated by vague, repetitive green claims, it is no longer enough
to merely explain benefits to the planet.
Green marketing means enhancing product quality across the board. That translates into additional product benefits and helping consumers interact with their environment in new ways. Saving money, bettering one’s health, or lengthening a product’s lifespan are all consumer-useful attributes that eco-labels must depict explicitly. Only in doing so will our eco-labels engender stronger motivation to change consumption habits—the goal all along.
So, what can other green communicators learn from this?
Live and
learn. In my new book,The New Rules of Green Marketing, I
commend the following companies’ eco-labels, but the EPA’s new
fuel-economy label introduced in May of this year shows me these
companies could do even better.
In the book I congratulate Timberland’s Green Indexas a watershed
mark in transparency, but I now believe it could include more
consumer-useful information. Looking at the Green Index with a consumer
useful lens make me want to see estimates on how long the boots will
last (durability) and whether or not Timberland provides a repair/rebuild service
akin to Allen Edmonds, the fancy men’s shoe maker. Consumers must be
able to quantify benefits and relate green qualities to personal
benefits.
HP’s EcoHighlightslabel sports a number of laudable
environmental accolades their printers have earned, but at the end of
the day, consumers might be more interested in how that eco-information
translates into relevant benefits such as ease of double-sided printing,
life expectancy and costs per printed page.
I initially fell in
love with the“Levi’s Care Instructions for Our Planet” label and heartily congratulate Levi’s for including it on their jeans.
However, I now believe that consumers would be more apt to follow the instructions (and
the planet would be better served) if the primary benefit was making one’s jeans
look good longer.
Think—and Work—Holistically
Ensuring
consumer-useful eco-data will take a de-siloing of sustainability and
marketing responsibilities. Only when consumer, environmental and
technical advocates roll up their sleeves at one table will relevant
communications be developed.
—-
Jacquelyn Ottman is an expert adviser on green marketing to Fortune 500 companies and the U.S. government. Her firm’s website, containing more information about the book, ishttp://www.greenmarketing.com.
Additional information on this topic is available from J. Ottman Consulting’s “Moving Sustainability Forward” green paper. Download ithere.
Watch Jacquelyn Ottman elaborate on this topic during her kickoff speech to Sustainable Brands ‘11 here.
Join The New Rules of Green Marketing LinkedIn Group by linking here.
Recent blog posts:
• Why Guilt Won’t Sell Green
• 40% Off The New Rules of Green Marketing to Mark Top 40 Status
• How Consumers Can Share Responsibility for Greening
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