PUBLISHER'S NOTE
Without Cynicism or Sanctimony
Welcome to our new monthly enewsletter about the intersection between graphic design and environmental responsibility. Like the broader society in which they work, graphic designers are taking the environmental challenge seriously on several levels: first, with a renewed interest in recycled papers, recyclable materials and responsible vendors; second, with a broader and more holistic view of sustainability, stewardship and social responsibility; and, third, with a recognition that being "green" can also be good business for designers and clients. In its 44th year as a monthly business-to-business resource, GDUSA is well-positioned to introduce this monthly enewsletter. The purpose: to provide timely and useful information that covers, promotes and facilitates environmentally friendly graphic design. The content: a mix of news, ideas, trends, people, products and services presented in an accessible manner. The audience: tens of thousands of graphic artists who already look to us in print and online for business, marketing, paper and production information. And, finally, the pledge: to avoid the rhetoric that stifles intelligent discussions of environmental issues — the cynicism of selfishness on the one hand and sanctimony of the self-righteous on the other. As always, your input is welcome, especially with regard to upcoming events, links to resources you like, and case studies in which you have employed eco-friendly principles in real world projects.
— Gordon Kaye, editorial@gdusa.com
THINKING GREEN
Buzz Means Scrutiny
Prolonged online buzz about the environmental terms "green" and "sustainability" suggest that heightened awareness of environmental issues is much more than a passing fad. The Nielsen Company reported late last month that the term "sustainability" peaked on blogs, boards and discussion groups after the February 25 telecast of The Oscars as Al Gore's "Inconvenient Truth" took home a statuette. Nonetheless, "sustainability" has remained a persistent issue in the blogosphere, with buzz levels on this term up 169% in July 2007 versus year ago. "Fueled by Al Gore, growing media attention, and other factors, these higher, lasting buzz levels suggest sustainability is further becoming a deep-rooted priority in consumers' lives," said Greg Thornhill, VP and Practice Lead, CPG, Nielsen BuzzMetrics. "For marketers, this new era of sustainability means they must prepare for rising consumer awareness and scrutiny in everything they do and how it relates to the future good of the planet." www.nielsenbuzzmetrics.com
That's Entertainment
Carbon footprint reduction went showbiz this week, with FOX and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences partnering to produce an eco-friendly Primetime Emmy Awards broadcast. The "Green With Emmy" campaign encompasses all Emmy events with the purpose of reducing the carbon footprint. For example, all print collateral items, such as invitations, tickets, posters programs, press materials and stationery, the Television Academy has used recycled paper manufactured with 100% windpower — and almost entirely made from postconsumer waste — with all items made carbon neutral. In addition to the use of recyclable materials, FOX used hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles for transportation, replaced production golf carts with bicycles, reduced power requirements and utilized alternative and eco-friendly energy sources (including solar power) for red carpet arrivals and the like; used locally grown and/or organic foods for press and event guests; and incorporated green themes into the televised broadcast. Mohawk Fine Papers was chosen to help execute the "Green With Emmy" goals based on it's extensive offerings of eco-friendly papers and manufacturing process. Scott Buford is Art Director of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. www.emmys.tv or www.mohawkpaper.com
Plastic Bottle Remorse
Packaging designers are responding to the a new trend, plastic water bottle remorse. Americans toss more than 38 billion plastic water bottles, and more than 1.5 million barrels of petroleum go into their production. Now, the company that makes Brita water filters is teaming up with Nalgene, a manufacturer of reusable beverage containers, to launch the FilterForGood campaign which encourages people to recycle the bottles and wean people off throwaway bottles. Nestle, which owns such brands as Poland Spring and Ice Mountain is rolling out a lightweight bottle that uses 30% less plastic than the current model and sports a paper-saving label that is 30% smaller. Coca-Cola also has redesigned bottles for its Dasani brand to reduce the use of raw materials by 30% and has introduced a cap that can be recycled. Pepsi's Aquafina has reduced the weight of its plastic packaging by 40% over the last five years. www.filterforgood.com
Greenwashing The Brand
For advertisers and marketers, does engaging in a "green" program have an effect on a brand's value? That depends. Greg Silverman, Senior Vice President of Analytics at Interbrand, says the degree of impact depends on the industry in question as well as the substance of the program: "Any strategy poorly executed is going to be a poorly executed strategy." In reviewing the list of 100 Best Global Brands — a survey conducted by Interbrand and published recently in BusinessWeek magazine — specialized marketing firm, GreenOrder, rated Toyota the most successful at using green initiatives to enhance brand value. Citing Toyota for the highest industry relevance, GreenOrder also gave it high marks for messaging effectiveness, differentiation and credibility. At the same time, GreenOrder CEO Andrew Shapiro also cautions against greenwashing: "Lots of companies try to get on the green bandwagon because they perceive it to be hot issue, and they are putting forward messaging campaigns that amount to little more than 'we care about the environment, too.' I don't think those empty statements are going to carry weight with consumers... They know when a company is making a broad claim that doesn't have much weight behind it." www.brandchannel.com or www.greenorder.com
Picture This
Does the general rise in environmental awareness shape the images that art directors and graphic designers select? It appears so, according to a year long study by Corbis. Instead of traditional pictures of water droplets on leaves and Earth from space, more graphic design firms and advertising agencies are using images showing humans interacting with the environment and connecting with nature — the most classic being pictures of tree-huggers — in advertising and design. "Creative Intelligence: 10 Major Trends" also finds that other images gaining in popularity include eco-tourism and people taking relaxing vacations. Two years ago Corbis created a nomenclature for customers most likely to respond to environmentally themed advertising "Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability." www.corbis.com
Climate Change
Neenah Paper has joined the Chicago Climate Exchange. CCX is the world's first voluntary but legally binding greenhouse gas emissions reduction registry and trading program. By joining CCX, Neenah Paper has not only committed to tracking and reporting carbon dioxide emissions, but also to achieving a six percent reduction by 2010 versus their baseline. Other well-known member companies include Rolls-Royce, Ford, DuPont, Eastman Kodak, Intel, International Paper and Stora Enso North America. CCX's trading system establishes limits on overall emissions and sets company allowances for members. Businesses with emissions below their allowances can trade the remainder to other companies, whereas businesses that do not achieve their committed emissions levels must purchase credits. www.chicagoclimatex.com
Mushy Consumers
The majority of people may not be paying attention to green marketing, but companies which choose to drive demand for such products can do something about that. According to a study done by Yankelovich entitled Going Green, media coverage of environmental issues tends to exceed consumer interest. Why? Most people see no personal relevance, do not know enough about the problems or the solutions, and have other priorities such as price. But this doesn't mean that companies should abandon this approach. Even though they are a minority, an estimated 70 to 100 million consumers are very interested in hearing an environmental message and, moreover, the opinions of those who say it is not important are "mushy," meaning that their minds can be changed. The study group concludes that advertisers can take some basic steps to raise the salience of the issue by: showing consumers that green matters to them on a personal level: increasing consumer knowledge and information: and creating superior products. Getty Images cosponsored the study.
Preserving Multi-Use Traditions
The Nature Conservancy has purchased all 161,000 acres of Finch Paper's forestland in the Adirondack Region of Upstate New York. The transaction includes an historic 20-year Working Forest Agreement that will ensure a supply of FSC- and SFI-certified wood to Finch Paper's historic mill and continue to support the jobs associated with timber harvesting. The Nature Conservancy is a non-profit conservation group that has been working locally in the Adirondacks for 36 years. On the forestlands, TNC takes responsibility for local taxes, and much of the forests will continue to supply fiber to the Finch Paper mill, which employs approximately 850 people. In keeping with its conservation mission, the objectives are to preserve the property's biological diversity while maintaining working forests and seeking to enhance public recreational opportunities. "We're extremely pleased to have reached an agreement that will continue the proud multi-use traditions of this land for years to come," comments Andrew Bursky, chairman of Atlas Holdings, one of the major investor groups that recently acquired Finch. www.finchpaper.com
Office of Sustainability
International Paper has created of an Office of Sustainability to champion companywide conservation and natural resources stewardship strategies, and to support the environmental goals of customers. The Office focuses its efforts around wood fiber, conservation, air, water, lifecycle analysis and other natural resource issues as they pertain to the needs of IP customers. The team's work will include raising awareness of key sustainability issues, leading third-party certification and product labeling efforts, developing partnerships with stakeholders and implementing policies that support sustainability objectives. Dr. Sharon G. Haines leads the office. www.ipaper.com
Multiple Certifications
Stora Enso announced that effective June 1, Centura, Productolith gloss, dull and matte sheets, and the Arbor line of products meet the chain-of-custody requirements of the FSC and the PEFC. Comments Tony McDowell, Vice President, Branding and Market Communications: "We recognize that many of our customers want assurance that the products they buy come from responsibly managed forests... As a leader in the paper industry, we have a special responsibility to support all credible forest certification schemes. That's why we have sought and attained these multiple certifications for six of our mills in North America, covering a wide range of products for our customers." www.storaenso.com
GREEN PEOPLE
Getting The Ball Rolling
"Profitability and sustainability are not mutually exclusive endeavors," says founder and principal of Roughstock Studios, Jessica Sand. "In fact, when applied to both internal operations and external decision making, sustainability can breed profitability." Her communications studio, specializing in writing and graphic design, has been certified as a Green Business by the city of San Francisco. Roughstock worked closely with various city agencies throughout an exhaustive certification process that focused on reducing energy and water consumption, minimizing the studio's waste stream, and adopting purchasing policies that reflect environmentally preferable standards. Sand is repositioning the studio to tap into growing consumer awareness about such issues as climate change, ethical business practices, and green marketing. "It's in everyone's interest to develop business models that serve both a business' stakeholders and the community as a whole," says Sand. Roughstock Studios has posted their comprehensive sustainability policy at the company's website. Sand hopes Roughstock's Green Business certification serves as an example to other marketing firms: "It's easy to get the ball rolling," she says, "and it's extremely satisfying to reap the benefits." www.roughstockstudios.com and www.sfgreenbiz.org.
Eco-Friendly Elements
Amy Graver of Elements, a GDUSA 2007 Person To Watch, recently wrote a piece in The Hartford Business Journal on how knowledgeable graphic design firms can help small and medium businesses meet their environmental responsibility. Here's an excerpt: "In the pantheon of buzzwords, 'green' must surely occupy a rarified piece of ground. It seems to slip into nearly every conversation, every other page of the newspaper and every third minute of the evening news. While large companies are taking well-publicized steps both literally and figuratively to clean up their acts, many owners and managers of small and mediumsized businesses remain baffled... The problem is not one of indifference. Many business people I speak to tell me they'd like to do more but just aren't sure where to get started... One of the most efficient, manageable — and perhaps affordable — ways to begin the process is to choose vendors based on their commitment to green practices. The really good news is that many businesses are already buying services and products from environmentally progressive suppliers... While each business must ultimately take responsibility to minimize its ecological impact, it is perfectly reasonable to expect some assistance from vendors in making the right choices. For example — as a supplier of graphic design services — my firms keeps close watch on the latest developments in recycleds papers, soy-based inks and leading-edge advancements on behalf of our clients... [U]sing vendors already committed to eco-friendly practices may provide the easiest way to take those first, important steps down the path to a greener future." www.elementsdesign.com
New BeLeaf System
Small changes can make a big impact especially within the graphic design industry where natural resources are often used in the end product. That's why Debra Rizzi of Rizco Design, a boutique graphic design firm, has launched BeLeaf, a program that encourages clients to join the effort to make environmentally responsible graphic design decisions involving paper and printing. The idea is to extend the sustainability efforts of the Forest Stewardship Council's Chain of Custody in which resources are monitored every step of the way from the forest to the printer. BeLeaf seeks to extends these efforts one more level to graphic design decisionmakers — the clients, the designers and the end-user. Some of the changes made by the design firm to reduce the environmental impact of its projects: converting the office to 100% Wind Power; adding FSC certified printers to the vendor base; and specifying FSC certified paper stocks from mills that are using Green Power. Once a project is completed, the end-result is rated through a web-based tool and the electronic recap distributed to clients to showcase the benefits of sustainable decisions. www.rizcodesign.com/beleaf
PROJECT PLANET
Tech Recycling Campaign
72andsunny developed and executed a marketing campaign for gcycle, a campaign to encourage young people to recycle their tech geer, like cell phones, batteries and video game consoles. The initiative features a website and animated spots, and is sponsored by G4, "the plugged-in network for guys 18-34" and Earth 911, a major provider of environmental information. Credits go to Creative Director Glenn Cole and art directors Bryan Rowles and Hoon Kim, with illustration by Adam Culbert. www.gcycle.org or www.72andsunny.com
Voting Green
Can a positive message about environment and nature help win an election? Damn right. This past summer Dawn Zimmer, long-shot candidate for councilwoman of Hoboken's Fourth Ward, defeated the longterm incumbant. Many observers attribute Dawn's stunning victory, not only to her independent environment-friendly stance, but also to the advertising and branding campaign designed by long-time Hoboken resident Susan Chait, VP and Creative Director of Lebowitz/Gould/Design. In a sea of red, white and blue banners, Dawn's green t-shirts, handouts, and posters stuck out like beacons heralding the "new day" that had become her tag line. The green was appropriate given Ms. Zimmer's extensive involvement in the Southwest Parks Coalition, and her focus on bringing more park space to the Fourth Ward. Said Ms. Zimmer. "I never realized how powerful great design could be." The Hoboken Historical Museum has requested that the t-shirts Ms. Chait designed be part of its permanent collection. www.lgd-inc.com
Green Exhibit
C&G Partners has expanded the realm of sustainable design with a "green" exhibit system created for America's Favorite Architecture, a traveling exhibition presented by the American Institute of Architects. The exhibit features photos of the country's 150 favorite structures based on a public poll conducted by Harris Interactive in conjunction with AIA's 150th anniversary. The lightweight, compact system, which incorporates sustainable materials and recyclable components, furthers the AIA's goal of raising awareness about environmentally friendly design. The freestanding exhibit structure is made of mailing tubes of 100% post-consumer, recycled paper. Joints and lighting mounts are made from FSC certified, managed-forest Baltic birch plywood with raw finish. Lighting is provided by standard "clamp lamps" fitted with 20-watt, low-mercury, compact florescent flood bulbs. When disassembled, the lightweight system packs into an extremely compact space, greatly reducing the packaging and fuel needed for shipping. At the end of the exhibit's tour, the compact fluorescent bulbs, lighting fixtures, and mailing tubes can be immediately repurposed locally. www.cgpartnersllc.com