PUBLISHER'S NOTE
I didn't vote for Al Gore, but for the other guy. Why I continue to admit so in public baffles even me, since the conversation always ends badly, often in anger and occasionally with screaming. Nobody has run me down with a Prius just yet, but I feel it coming. I just can't warm up to the Nobel and Oscar winner, and I still get a chuckle thinking about how The Simpson's Movie dubbed his now-famous climate change documentary as "The Irritating Truth." All that aside, you have to hand it to the man. If education and communication are crucial to laying the foundation for environmentally responsible policies — and they absolutely are — then he is a mountain of momentum. Vice President Gore's latest venture is a public advertising campaign estimated to cost $100-$200 million a year, making it one of the largest public service campaigns in history. Television commercials, newspaper spreads and internet ads are on the agenda. Funded by donations from the public, as well as with proceeds from An Inconvenient Truth, the campaign will try to convince people that they can do something about global warming. "It's about communicating the urgency and solvability of the climate crises," said Brian Hardwick, a spokesman for the Alliance for Climate Change, an environmental group founded and chaired by the former vice president. "So [people] will demand the kind of change we need." Though the campaign will not focus solely on energy, carbon dioxide and fossil fuels are expected to get the lion's share of the attention. Reportedly, the ads won't endorse any specific legislation but, in the broad sense, will attempt to create a groundswell of support for change. The campaign will be spearheaded by the extremely creative Richmond-based Martin Agency, which has created well-known GEICO and UPS programs, among others. It's a simple but brilliant idea, likely to be well executed, and stands as a present reminder that advertising and design can be utilized as a force for social change. Al Gore for president? We could do worse...
— Gordon Kaye, editorial@gdusa.com
THINKING GREEN
A Different Green Party
Philadelphia PA: On the evening of Tuesday, October 23, Central Lewmar will throw a party. The Green Party (no, not that one) will take place in the Loews Philadelphia Hotel at 6:30 p.m. and will consist of exhibitions from paper mills, speakers and three seminars. Look out for talks about the Forest Stewardship Council, Rainforest Alliance and Sustainable Forestry Initiative certification processes and, in a talk by Ann Willoughby of Willoughby Design, a discussion of how designers can shape the world to be sustainable. In addition, winners of two paper mill-sponsored graphic design competitions will be announced at the party. This is the sixth year for Central Lewmar's Green Party; last year, over 1,000 attended. Central Lewmar was recently acquired by xpedx. www.speccentrallewmar.com, www.xpedx.com
On The Cusp Of Change
Pittsburgh PA: Three graphic arts trade associations — the Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation, the Speciality Graphic Imaging Association and the Flexographic Technical Association — have joined together to create the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SFPP). The venture, which aims to be the central clearinghouse for information about green printing activities, has two main plans: establishing criteria for sustainable printing, and creating a national registry of companies that satisfy those standards. The SFPP will also provide guidance to printers that desire to enact the Partnership-defined criteria. "We are on the cusp of a fundamental change in the way printers will be doing business in the foreseeable future. This initiative will give printers the tools they need to respond to the market and demonstrate their continued commitment to protecting the environment through sustainability," said Gary Jones, the director of environmental health and safety affairs for PIA/GATF and a leader of the SGP Partnership. www.sgppartnership.org
Through The Roof
New York NY: Making good on its dedication to sustainability, the AIGA recently installed a "green roof" at the AIGA National Design Center, the organization's headquarters on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. Now the building's roof is covered in eight varieties of sedum planted in four-inch-deep containers and circumscribed by a walkway lined with recycled rubber. The construction covers 1,156-square-feet of rooftop. Such vegetated roofs are prevalent in Europe and are said to reduce heating and cooling loads on buildings, diminish the urban heat island effect, filter pollutants and carbon dioxide from the air, remove pollutants and heavy metals from rainwater and increase wildlife habitat in built-up areas. The AIGA advocates for sustainable practices in the design industry via the AIGA Center for Sustainable Design. www.sustainability.aiga.org
Do Well By Doing Good
Hartford CT: Sixty six percent of Americans agree that "doing well by doing good is a savvy business strategy," and, as reported elsewhere in this issue, 42 percent are willing to pay more for socially responsible products. "Good and Green: The Green Marketing Conference," an upcoming event from PME Enterprises, will explore how businesses can improve their bottom lines by effectively capitalizing on the eco trend. "It's clear that the movement to more earth-friendly living is no longer a movement. It's mainstream, it's mass and it's got momentum." said Deborah Barrow, the founder of TheDailyGreen.com and a speaker at the conference. "It has far-reaching implications for everyone who sells anything to consumers." Barrow, whose online publication is a sponsor of the conference, promises "an in-depth, two-day deep dive for any company trying to chart a course navigating these new waters, which hold such opportunity and promise." Discover Communication's Planet Green, Fast Company magazine and Getty Images are among the other sponsors. The event takes place November 29-30 at the Chicago Cultural Center. www.goodandgreen.biz
Don't Blame Canada
Toronto, Ontario: Universal Studios is market testing an eco-friendly DVD packaging design with the Canadian distribution of Evan Almighty. Instead of the traditional plastic packaging, a slim cardboard sleeve is being used house the DVD for the Genesis-inspired Steve Carrell vehicle. Soy inks, waterless printing and green paper are also part of the project. "This is a Canadian exclusive," Universal VP for Marketing Richard Bicknell told Sun Media. "This is not happening anywhere else in the world. But, obviously, the Americans are aware and very interested to see how this performs. They're really excited for us, and they're rooting for us, and they want to get to a place where they can do this, too." Bicknell added: "This is something we're committed to: environmentally friendly packaging." www.universalstudioscanada.com
Opening A Green Practice
New York NY: Joel Makower, writing on CNNMoney.com, notes an interesting trend: Many major public relations firms are opening sustainability practices. Fleishman-Hillard, GolinHarris, Edelman, GCI Group, Ogilvy and Weber Shandwick have all done so, and several others — including Murson-Marsteller, Hill & Knowlton, Ketchum, Mannin Selvage & Lee and Porter Novelli — are set to in the near future. In the article, GolinHarris CEO Fred Cook comments on the need for such practices: "Sustainability has grown from an important part in a CRS program to become a global 'value.' Successful organizations must now look at sustainability issues as part of their bottom line — along with profit and community development." What explains this trend? Makower conjectures that corpora- tions aren't just now turning to green practices for the first time, but rather have always engaged in them — only secretly, in order to direct attention away from the less savory environmental aspects of their operations. Now the cat is out of the bag, and P.R. companies are stepping up to broadcast corporate America's green messages.
Plates Reduce Chemicals
The newly expanded Agfa Graphics plate manufacturing plant in Branchburg NJ is now able to produce the long-run, no-bake :Energy Elite plate which won the 2007 InterTech Technology Award. The expansion project gives Agfa the ability to manufacture more of the plates used in North America, including the popular ThermoFuse- based, chemistry-free :Azura and the low-chemistry :Amigo plates. Approximately 20 percent of the world's ThermoFuse plate users are in North America. "With the widest choice of digital plates available today, Agfa has the right solution for every printing company around the world," said Tom Saggiomo, president, Agfa Graphics, North America. "By enhancing our capabilities at our Branchburg facility, we are strengthening our commitment to our customers by producing more of the world's leading plates right here in North America." Adds Saggiomo, "ThermoFuse technology has helped printers all over North America, and around the world, reduce the use of chemicals and harsh effluents involved in conventional CtP plate processing."
Another Generation Gap
Bellevue WA: An international poll conducted by Global Market Insite yielded two results of interest to eco-minded marketers. First, researchers found that a plurality of consumers in six countries — India, Canada, Australia, Germany, China and Japan — say that environmental responsibility is the most important factor in deciding whether or not a company is socially responsible. American consumers, by contrast, say that the most important factor is "contributing to the community" via grants, volunteer programs and the like. Second, 42 percent of Americans, and fully half of Americans aged 18-29, say they are willing to spend more for products branded as organic, environmentally friendly or fair trade. (Only 37 percent aged 45-64 report similar inclinations.) Looking at the generation gap in the U.S., Marjorie Thompson, co-author of Brand Spirit: How Cause Related Marketing Builds Better Brands, argues that "Generation Y is obviously more environmentally conscious and socially savvy, which is expected given that many are aware of the issues surrounding globalization and trade, and how this can negatively affect the environment, labor pool and local communities." www.gmi-mr.com
Potter Postconsumer
Saint-Jérôme, Quebec: Scholastic tapped Cascades Fine Papers Group to manufacture paper for two editions of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the recently-published final installment of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. The U.S. deluxe edition is printed on Cascades' Rolland Enviro 100 Book paper, which is made of 100 percent post-consumer fiber and is FSC Recycled, Environmental Choice and Processed Chlorine Free certified. In addition, Cascades supplied paper for portions of the U.S. Trade hardcover edition of Deathly Hallows. The paper contains 90 percent post-consumer fiber and 10 percent FSC-certified virgin fiber. Both grades were manufactured using biogass, or fuel produced by the fermentation of organic waste matter like manure and sewage sludge. According to Cascades officials, the paper used in the books saved the equivalent of 529 football fields of trees, 3,272 showers' worth of water and the air emissions of 328 cars. www.cascades.com
Small Step Adds Up
Sun Prairie WI: Since the summer, ThePaperMillStore.com, a multi-mill ecommerce site from CTI Paper Group, has used 50-percent-recycled shipping boxes for its outgoing orders. The new, eco-friendly boxes contain 40 per- cent postconsumer waste fiber and 10 percent preconsumer waste fiber. And with double-walled exteriors, the boxes satisfy the conscience without sacrificing safety or quality. "It remains important for us to create the strongest box possible while maintaining our ongoing commitment to sustainable practices," said Brian J. Cowie, CEO of ThePaperMillStore.com. Cowie added: "We believe small initiatives such as this will make a meaningful, positive environmental impact and will help to maintain a healthy planet for future generations. We continue to look throughout our business for products, processes and vendors that will help us achieve our goal of sustainable and low-impact practices." www.thepapermillstore.com
Windpower Gains Strength
Cohoes NY: Over the summer, Mohawk Fine Papers began offsetting 100 percent of the annual electric power consumption at all of its operations in New York and Ohio, when the company purchased 100 million kilowatt hours of renewable energy certificates. The move follows a May 2007 announcement that Mohawk will endeavor to make several lines — including Strathmore Writing, Strathmore Script, Beckett Concept, Beckett Expression, Superfine and Navajo — carbon neutral. "We continually seek ways to expand our sustainable practices," said Tom O'Connor, chairman and CEO of Mohawk Fine Papers. "We're acutely aware that, as a paper manufacturer, we are part of an industry that depends heavily on energy, water and other natural resources in the production of ephemeral, non-durable goods. Because of this, over two decades ago we embraced the concept of extended stewardship, meaning that we continually examine every aspect of our business with the objective of making our environmental footprint as small as possible." www.mohawkpaper.com
President's Award
xpedx is the recipient of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative's first-ever President's Award for innovation in marketing and communications. One the largest business-to-business distribution companies in the US, xpedx became the first merchant to be nationally certified for chain-of-custody under the SFI Program. "xpedx has made chain-of-custody forest certification a priority within their business by initiating printer certification programs, distributing tool kits, hosting workshops and providing ongoing assistance to their customers," said SFI's new CEO and President Kathy Abusow. "Companies and other organizations are increasingly incorporating social and environmental responsibility into their business strategies and forest certification is one way of achieving this," said Jeff Higgins, corporate director of marketing services at xpedx. "Through our programs, we have been able to increase awareness of certification and help our customers meet their sustainability goals." Abusow presented the award to Gina Girardi, promotions specialist with xpedx, at SFI's annual conference in Salt Lake City.
A Certification First
Alpharetta GA: Starwhite from Neenah Paper is the first North American paper brand to achieve the certification of FSC Pure. The FSC Pure label from the Forest Stewardship Council indicates that a paper is made solely with virgin fiber from FSC certified forests. Why virgin rather than recycled fiber? "We, as a country, recycle only about 51 percent of what we use. There is a shortage of paper that is recycled from postconsumer waste. That means we are ultimately dependent on the forests for paper," said Greg Maze, senior brand manager for Neenah. Maze adds, "Neenah views it as our responsibility to support efforts to ensure the replanting and reforesting of trees that are crucial to preventing climate change, combating air pollution and maintaining forest biodiversity, such as using FSC certified fiber." www.neenahpaper.com
Certification Programs Grow
New York NY: A recent report from Pricewaterhouse Coopers indicates that 49 percent the top 100 paper and packaging companies have one or more operations certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. FSC's representation is higher than that of any other forest certification program. Thirty one percent have at least one operation certified by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification, while the figure is 30 percent for the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. According to the study's authors, these figures represent an increased interest on the part of paper and packaging makers in having transparently eco-friendly operations. A PDF of the 2007 report, entitled Growth: Global Forest, Paper & Packaging Industry Survey, is available on Pricewaterhouse Coopers' website. www.pwc.com.
Fighting Skepticism
Greenwich CT: The marketing innovation consultancy Fletcher Knight just released its "Key Trends for Marketers in 2008 and Beyond." Key among them is this: "As more and more companies jump on the green bandwagon, consumers' skepticism meters will start to go off. Environmentally friendly platitudes will no longer be sufficient to differentiate. Consumers will demand more proof that a company or brand is actively reducing its carbon footprint. In this word of evidence-based marketing, even 'bad guy' companies like Wal-Mart, which is helping to save the planet because it saves costs, can turn out to be 'good guy' winners." For similar insights, see www.fletcherknight.com.
GREEN PEOPLE
Chief Brand Officer
After seven years in the design business, R. Michael Hendrix grew dissatisfied. So, in 2002, he banded together with three like-minded people and founded Tricycle, Inc., a Chattanooga-based sustainable design company that is comprised of graphic, product and industrial designers an where Hendrix is now chief brand officer and creative director. Tricycle broke out with a major eco-friendly innovation for the interiors industry: accurate, recyclable, paper prints that can take the place of carpet samples. "My firm, Tricycle, understands 'sustainable design' as a new category in the professional world, in which a design company is defined not by its output but by its objectives," Hendrix wrote in GDUSA last spring. "Our end products help create sustainability. Things, processes, programs, education, materials, etc. — our means are varied, but there is a single goal of creating economic, environmental and social profitability in the long term." Hendrix and his colleagues have taken the Industrial Design Society of America/BusinessWeek IDEA Gold Award and a Smithsonian Copper-Hewitt National Design Award for its design and sustainability leadership. They were short-listed at the INDEX:awards in the category of "Design to Improve Life." www.tricycleinc.com
Certification Expert
"Forest certification is a significant tool in the marketplace and among policy setters, and so it is essential to keep certification programs relevant and in tune with changing landscapes as well as market expectations." That is how Kathy Abusow, the newly installed president and chief executive officer of the Sustainabile Forestry Initiative, describes her vision and plan for her tenure at the head of one of America's leading forest certification organizations. Readers of this enewsletter are undoubtedly familiar with the SFI Program, a comprehensive sustainable forestry certification system that involves more than 200 participants and has certified more than 133 million acres of forest across the U.S. and Canada. But Ms. Abusow and her qualifications may be less well known. Over the past 15 years, she operated Abusow International Ltd., a successful forest certification and market acceptance consultancy. She is also an acknowledged authority on certification standards and related marketplace issues like as procurement policy design. "Kathy is an expert in her field, and we are very fortunate to have her energy, experience and knowledge to lead the SFI Program at this important time," remarked Professor Norm L. Christensen, Jr., the vice chair of the SFI board. www.aboutsfi.org
PROJECT PLANET
Ski Green
Aspen CO: Aspen Skiing Company's Winter 2007-2008 ad campaign focusees on the issue of global warming. Spots for the Colorado-based winter sports resort company — which are set to appear in magazines like Powder, Ski, Outside, Freeskier, Snowboarder and TransWorld Snowboarding — will use pro skiers and snowboarders to tout Aspen Skiing's environmental record, and urge individuals and companies to take action against rising global temperatures. Readers are directed to a company-run website, www.savesnow.org, to learn more about the subject of global warming. Aspen officials also say they intend to send energy-saving compact florescent light bulbs to 40,000 customers to complement the advertising theme. This is not the first eco-action of Aspen. Last year, it sold Green-e certified SkiGreen Tags to guests at the company's resorts. Aspen Skiing Company operates the Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Snowman and Buttermilk ski areas near the city of Aspen.
Is It Good For You?
Phoenix, a New Zealand soda and juice company, recently launched an interactive ad campaign that challenges consumers to consider whether their usual cold beverages are really good for them and good for the planet. Phoenix creates drinks from organic ingredients, and its corporate culture has placed a heavy importance on environmental responsibility since the business launched in 1986. One illustration: "When we first developed Phoenix Ginger Beer, we bottled it in recycled beer bottles that we had collected from the local pubs, soaked in a tub to get the labels off and then steralized in a commercial dishwasher," said Phoenix founder Roger Harris. "We've come a long way since those days, but the principals have always remained the same." The campaign includes a new website (www.phoenixorganics.co.nz), street posters, print ads and TV ads. The agency Consortium headed the project.
Green Billboards
Montclair NJ: In an attempt to connect environmentally friendly businesses with eco-conscious consumers, the marketing and media company Brand Connections recently created a network of 500 outdoor advertising venues located near national parks and ski resorts, reports the The Wall Street Journal. The spaces themselves aren't new. Previously they were the property of numerous small firms, which Brand Connections reportedly spent more than $10 million buying while creating the new network. Some sizable advertisers have already signed up, including Odwalla, a Coca-Cola-owned company. Brand Connections officials acknowledge the possible difficulties of broadcasting environmentally friendly messages on outdoor venues. "You've got to do it in a way so you are not destroying what [consumers] perceive to be the environment; if you are providing them with information that they need, as a tradeoff, they will take the advertising," Brian Martin, the founder and CEO of Brand Connections, told the Journal. "We just need to be careful. They don't want us to billboard-ize their outdoors."