sustainability

by

Recent award for green marketing leadership

nedmaLogoI was honored and humbled to receive the 2009 New England Direct Marketing Association Prodigy Award, for my work in the green marketing and sustainability space.  I received the award at the NEDMA 2009 Annual Conference held earlier this month at Bentley College in Waltham, Massachusetts.

According to NEDMA, the Prodigy Award is given each year to one marketing professional in New England under the age of 30 who has added the most to the art and science of direct marketing in the prior year.  NEDMA started the award eight years ago to recognize some of the most talented young marketers in the region.  During that time, members of organizations like Hill Holliday, Mullen, Oceanos and Vistaprint have been recognized for their expertise in areas including graphic design, direct mail and interactive media.

Many thanks to NEDMA for including me in this process and for all the work the organization does  to help develop the next generation of marketing professionals in New England.

Please click here to read the full press release.

by

The critical importance of transparency as part of sustainable communications – Ad Age

Transparency-720358As most of those who read Sustainable Ink regularly know, I’ve been an advocate for transparency in everything individuals and companies do.  I’m pleased to share an article that Diana Verde Nieto (CEO of Clownfish, a sustainability and communications consultancy based in the U.K.) wrote for Advertising Age, titled: The Four C’s of Survival: How Sustainable Communications Can Help You Get Through the Recession.

I’m glad to see that Diana shares and is promoting some of the values and principles that I have always believed are essential ingredients of a credible, robust sustainability program, and I hope you enjoy the article.

Here’s a downloadable version of the article.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy Memorial Day Holiday.

by

It all adds up…

****Guest post from David Grossman (Ben’s brother, and SVP, Grossman Marketing Group)****

While driving back to my office from a meeting, I saw the following sign posted on the back of a Staples delivery truck.   On the back of the truck, there is a small box that states, “Top speed set at 60.  It saves fuel & reduces emissions.”

We brake for the environment: the back of a Staples delivery truck. Photo taken May 20, 2009 by David Grossman.

We brake for the environment: the back of a Staples delivery truck. Photo taken May 20, 2009 by David Grossman.

I want to commend Staples not only for putting measures in place that will help the environment, but for being transparent in communicating their efforts to the general public.  By doing so, they are both helping their business and raising awareness in general of the importance of being green.  So, thank you Staples!

by

Report on Boston Business Journal Green Business Summit

George Donnelly, Editor-in-Chief, Boston Business Journal, presented Ben Grossman, Director of Grossman Marketing Group's Green Marketing & Sustainability Practice, with an award recognizing his firm's innovation in the printing and marketing industry. (Image courtesy Boston Business Journal)

George Donnelly, Editor-in-Chief, Boston Business Journal (R), presented Ben Grossman, Director of Grossman Marketing Group's Green Marketing & Sustainability Practice (L), with an award recognizing his firm's innovation in the printing and marketing industry on Friday, May 15, 2009. (Image courtesy Boston Business Journal)

As I wrote last month, my firm was honored to receive a green business award at the Boston Business Journal Green Business Summit.  We were especially excited to be the only firm in the marketing services space to be recognized.  Many thanks to our client, Zipcar, for nominating us.

The summit was held last Friday, 5/15/09, and we were presented with our award (even the plaque was made with recycled materials!).  Please click here for a list of the other winners.

Here’s a summary of the main points of the article that appeared in Friday’s issue about why my firm, Grossman Marketing Group, was recognized:

  1. We were the first marketing & printing company in our region to offset 100% of its energy with certified wind power – and offer that eco-benefit to our clients at no extra cost
  2. As a result of our wind power initiative, we have produced more than a quarter billion eco-friendly direct mail packages since 2006 for clients including the National Park Foundation
  3. We recently negotiated preferred pricing arrangements with paper producers that enable us to offer printed materials made from a minimum of 25% post-consumer waste at no extra cost over the virgin fiber alternative
  4. We have plans to build a sustainability consultancy

Here’s a link to a PDF of the article. Many thanks for your interest!

by

Report on New England clean energy firms

necec-logoI had the opportunity to hear Nick d’Arbeloff, president of the New England Clean Energy Council, give a talk on Thursday, April 23, titled: “The Case for Energy Transformation: Climate Change, Energy Security, and Global Fossil Fuel Supply.”

d’Arbeloff extensively discussed the causes of global warming and the need for more sustainable energy supplies.  Near the end of his presentation, he highlighted some of New England’s leading clean energy firms, in a wide range of categories.  I thought this list was highly-targeted, and wanted to share it below, along with links to the various firms’ websites:

  1. A123 Systems – batteries
  2. Aircuity – energy efficiency
  3. Aspen Aerogels – advanced insulation
  4. EnerNOC – demand response for utilities
  5. Evergreen Solar – vertically integrated solar PV
  6. FloDesign Wind Turbine – turbine technology
  7. General Compression – energy storage (nacelle technology)
  8. GreenFuel – algae-based biofuel
  9. Konarka – thin film solar
  10. Mascoma – cellulostic ethanol
  11. ORPC – marine turbine techology
  12. Protonex – Fuel cells
  13. Qteros – cellulostic ethanol
  14. Ze-gen – waste-to-energy

d’Arbeloff concluded by explaining that despite the dire environmental trends (coupled with unstable energy prices and finite fossil fuel supplies), there will be a bright “green” future.  He said this will be made possible, first, by the right policy, which will unleash innovation and free markets to solve our energy problems.

The event was hosted by Goodwin Procter LLP, and organized by my high school, BB&N.  A special thanks to my friend, Jonathan Shapira, author of the Cleantech Investing in Israel blog, for making it happen.

by

Grossman Marketing wins green business award from Boston Business Journal

The Green Business Summit will be held on Friday, May 15, 2009.

The Green Business Summit will be held on Friday, May 15, 2009.

We at Grossman Marketing Group were honored and humbled this afternoon to learn that we are one of this year’s recipients of a Boston Business Journal green business award.  The award will be presented at this year’s Green Business Summit, scheduled for Friday, May 15, at 7 am at the Sheraton Boston Hotel.

We were included in the “Innovation” category, and recognized for our work in the green marketing and sustainability space.  We are especially grateful to our client, Zipcar, for nominating us for the award.

Below please find the full list of winners:

Invention:

Workplace:

Innovation:

Design:

Here’s a link to learn more about the event program as well as to register.

by

Ad Age: Green-Marketing Revolution Defies Economic Downturn

Source: Datamonitor's Product Launch Analytics

Source: Datamonitor's Product Launch Analytics

This week’s Advertising Age features a very interesting and timely (Earth Day is this week) article, titled “Green-Marketing Revolution Defies Economic Downturn.” The writer, Jack Neff, starts off the article with the following statement: “Green marketing is turning out to be surprisingly recession-proof.”

Neff points to product launch and sales data that indicate that even during the recession, consumer-packaged goods manufacturers are seeing significant revenue growth for their green offerings.  In fact, according to Seventh Generation CEO Jeffrey Hollender, his company’s sales were up 50% last year and 20% in March 2009 versus March 2008.

The article continues that as opposed to previous recessions, during which sales of green products “had the air taken out of them,” sales of green products have remained stable (and are still growing) in the current downturn.

Neff includes some interesting tips for green marketers at the end of the article, and I would certainly recommend giving it a quick read.

Here’s a link to the full article.

by

WSJ: Interesting report on eco-logos and green marketing

Courtesy Wall Street Journal. Illustration by Michael Witte.

Courtesy Wall Street Journal. Illustration by Michael Witte.

The Wall Street Journal has an interesting report in Thursday’s issue titled: “As Eco-Seals Proliferate, So Do Doubts.” The article discusses how a number of unregulated organizations that purport to verify “green” product claims have sprouted up, which only makes buying these products even more confusing for businesses and consumers.

Here are the two main points that the writer makes:

1) The U.S. Government may need to oversee the creation of Federal green marketing standards, similar to what the U.S. Department of Agriculture has done with organic foods.

2) Eco-seals that are verified by reputable third-party organizations are more reliable.  One example the writer provides is a Canadian-based organization, Ecologo.

I couldn’t agree more.  I have been pushing my industry and my clients to be transparent about green marketing claims, especially because consumers are smart and see through “fuzzy” and unsubstantiated claims that organizations make.  This is why when a client uses eco-friendly papers in their marketing programs and wants to explain the environmental benefits derived from these choices, they should not use a paper company’s calculator to arrive at these statistics.  Rather, they should use the paper calculator created by Environmental Defense, a leading non-profit dedicated to the environment.  I have written about this resource a number of times over the past several years.

I also believe that the Federal government should step in and begin to regulate green product claims.  I know this will be a difficult process, as it would be impossible to apply the same standards across all industries.  Nevertheless, it is important to start now, as it will help companies and individual consumers to better navigate the increasingly-complicated product landscape.

Here’s a link to the full article.

by

Snapshot: Environmental League of Massachusetts Corporate Council meeting with Governor Patrick

elm_with_wordingAs a member of the Environmental League of Massachusetts Corporate Council, I had the privilege of participating in a private meeting with Governor Patrick and his environmental team last Friday to discuss a wide range of issues.

I was struck by the willingness, openness and accessibility of the Governor and his Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Ian Bowles, to new, fresh and bold ideas, and their commitment to making Massachusetts a state in which there will be incentives, rewards and opportunities for companies and organizations to do the right thing from an environmental standpoint.

I was especially encouraged, despite the tough economic times, by the Governor’s commitment to make the necessary investments to enable Massachusetts to become a national and international “green” hub for sustainability, cleantech and other environmental innovations.

Here’s a list of the other members of the corporate council (in addition to Grossman Marketing Group):

To read more about the council:

  1. Please see the December 2008 Boston Globe article
  2. Please see the council’s member page on the ELM site
by

Trendwatching.com’s 12 eco-trends to watch

Hey all – I wanted to share this interesting briefing on Trendwatching.com about eco trends that present exciting opportunities for marketers and entrepreneurs.

Trendwatching refers to these opportunities as an eco-bounty, and they provide the following definition: “ECO-BOUNTY refers to the numerous opportunities, both short and long term, for brands that participate in the epic quest for a sustainable society. Some of these opportunities exist despite the current recession, others are fueled by it, not in the least because of new rules and regulations. Downturn-obsessed brands who lose their eco-focus will find themselves left out in the cold when the global economy starts recovering.”

Have a great weekend!