Don’t Try to Be Greenish

Consumers are getting more sophisticated in their understanding of green, “so you can't use smoke and mirrors, you must have a real green story,” says Allen Adamson, managing director of Landor, a brand consulting firm in New York.

You must ensure that your “green” product has a meaningful ecological benefit – a package that’s reusable or can be refilled, an appliance that uses much less electricity, not just 5 percent less, Adamson says.

And if a company says it’s going green, he advises, it should go all the way: “You can't have your sales force drive hybrids while your management team drives Hummers.”

Green entrepreneurship specialist Samson offers this checklist for preparing to green your business:

1. When brainstorming, define value as more than financial.
2. Comprehensively define your product or service’s benefit not only to the customer, but to society and the environment.
3. Eco-entrepreneurs not only create and sell, but build value-based communities. The greater the appeal, the more customer loyalty.
4. Don't preach, do.
5. Define the green benefits of your product or service in realistic, deliverable terms.
6. Start with a market segment, or create one, that appreciates both the immediate, direct value and the ecological benefits of your greening.
7. You, the personality behind the business, can be part of what you produce and selling. Your personal authentic "green" image is cool. Both you and your business are the story.

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About this Talk

Architect and designer William McDonough asks what our buildings and products would look like if designers took into account "All children, all species, for all time." A tireless proponent of absolute sustainability (with a deadpan sense of humor), he explains his philosophy of "cradle to cradle" design, which bridge the needs of ecology and economics. He also shares some of his most inspiring work, including the world's largest green roof (at the Ford plant in Dearborn, Michigan), and the entire sustainable cities he's designing in China.
About William McDonough

Architect William McDonough believes that green design can prevent environmental disaster -- while... Read full bio »

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