I’ve always been fascinated about how the meaning of a word can change over time.  For instance, do you remember when the word gay meant you were about to don some gay apparel in that old Christmas carol? Do you remember when the name Paris was followed by the name France, not Hilton? Do you remember when swift defined being fast, not getting out a mop to start swiffering your kitchen floor? And do you remember when green was just a color in your box of Crayola crayons that was nestled somewhere between maize and blue?  (OK. So Green is really—and always will be—the first half of that beautiful Spartan mantra of Go Green! Go White!)

Well, to paraphrase an old advertising tagline, green has come a long way, baby!

Today, green—and all its derivatives—has come to symbolize a movement. A movement of sustainability, of being eco-friendly and environmentally aware. A movement that has grown out of our emergent realization that we have to take better care of Mother Earth if she is going to take care of us. A movement that, at its core, represents the capacity to endure. And a movement that impacts every business and every customer they serve.

Greening efforts generally fall into one of the 3R categories—reduce, reuse and recycle. But as the greening movement has strengthened and as organizations increasingly integrate sustainability into their strategies, we need to add a fourth R category—reputation—to the movement. Reputation of your brand and, indirectly, of your customers.

First, your brand. In addition to the long-term ROI of going green, being a green corporate citizen is a positioning tool for your business. Research by the American Marketing Association indicates that an important reason for any business to go green is to generate goodwill; the second reason is to reach specific target markets. Both of these motives readily apply to each and every mid-Michigan business.

The impetus to go green comes from three sources: cost-savings; government regulations; and a growing segment of consumers that is often called “awakened.” These awakened consumers have the desire to do the right thing or at least think they are trying to do the right thing. According to Unity Marketing, these consumers are concerned about environmental issues that hit closest to home. In fact, recent studies show that saving money will join with saving the planet as people switch from disposables to reusables.

This leads to the second part of the reputation R: your customers. As consumers continue to embrace sustainability, they increasingly turn to products, services and activities that can make their lives greener. Today, being green means more that being a Spartan, however. Being green is a form of status. Just look at the throngs of people sporting reusable bags (which are logoed, of course) into grocery stores, shopping malls or even home improvement stores.

Consider the approving looks the owners of Smartcars receive. As CNW Marketing Research points out, one of the top reasons people buy a Toyota Prius is that it has a distinctive exterior styling that allows drivers to telegraph their green credentials to other motorists.

This brings us to an important point. If you are going to offer an eco-friendly product or service, make sure it has a distinct, iconic marker and/or design. This way, your customers can flaunt (in a nice way, of course) their eco-ness to friends and family alike. For example, there is a company, founded by a former gym teacher, that sells iconic bags made from old gym equipment, and even promises to include a little bit of sweat.

Another enterprise produces unique purses made from old snack bags, pull tabs and candy wrappers. These materials, which would otherwise end up in landfills, are woven into fashion statements by women’s cooperatives in developing countries. Even venerable Virgin Atlantic has upped its eco-consciousness by partnering with a small family-run company to produce limited edition purses reclaimed from old airplane seats.

Marketing, too, is entering the greening world by using low-impact advertising that incorporates natural materials and is easy on the environment. A British media agency, for instance, uses “logrow” to cut brand logos as big as 30 meters wide into grass for brands such as Adidas and Volkswagen. Pubeco invites consumers to post a free sticker on their mailboxes that reads: No leaflet, thank you—I’m reading them on the Internet. And a Dutch creative agency developed a new free, downloadable font that is specifically designed to extend the life of ink cartridges and toner by using 20 percent less ink than traditional fonts.

With consumers, businesses and governments moving toward sustainability, your business opportunities are endless. Using these brief examples as a starting point, brainstorm your way to becoming a greener corporate citizen.

Consider how your brand might boost the environment instead of just limiting the damage. Call it good public relations or responsibility or both. As long as you’re going out of your way to do something extra, everyone wins.

Perhaps Jeff Immelt, chairman of General Electric, put it best: “Marketers will risk being left behind if they don’t rethink everything. As consumers learn to live within their means and frugality replaces an abundantly wasteful consumerism, sustainability will become an essential benefit to your customers. Customers will uncompromisingly penalize products and brands that are perceived as wasteful of scarce resources and harmful to the environment, from SUVs to bottled water. Indeed, marketers need to recognize that sustainability has moved beyond a trend. It’s no longer a sidebar of traditional marketing strategies but rather the very DNA of their product offering.” 1 Or, as my dad used to always tell me, “If you are going to do something nice for your customer, be sure he knows it.”

Your bottom line will thank you!

1 www.trendwatching.com/trends/ecoiconic.htm  

		Bonnie J. Knutson, PhD is a professor at The School of Hospitality Business and Broad College of Business at Michigan State University.