We are by now all aware of the issue of global warming.
Everyone is now talking of the importance of living green and sustainably. From the biggest businesses world-wide to your next door neighbour, everyone is discussing how to reduce your carbon footprint in order to help our planet get back in shape and provide a better future for us and the generations to come.
Talking to the people around me, I get the distinct impression that the will to take the steps to go greener is there. The theory at least, has been assimilated. The steps linking this theory to practice however seem harder to take for most.
Focusing on this point, I sent a questionnaire to several marketers to gather input about their vision on sustainability and the steps they take to reduce their footprint.
The answers to some of the questions gave a good insight into the reality of the situation.
As it turns out, all respondents have adapted their lifestyles to different extents.
Recycling is at the top of the list with all respondents active in this field. Purchasing biological products, using energy saving devices and reducing car use came close behind though most admitted they wished they did more to reduce their impact.
The most interesting answers however, came when asking them what held them back from doing more.
While some few claimed to have other priorities, the most common answers focused on a lower level of comfort - linked to showering shorter for example or lowering the heating.
Others mentioned the information overload surrounding the issue, which creates a lack of clarity, leading to difficulties in accepting new products or technologies as being authentic.
"I feel that I am constantly being bombarded with information about sustainability. I usually need to be completely convinced about an issue before committing myself to a particular set of actions … The terms sustainable and eco are just not enough for me.", one respondent mentions.
Finally, the additional costs generated by a switch to environmentally friendlier solutions were also one of the key discouraging factors for most respondents.
Now, I have to admit that I agree with most of their points. I personally tend to recycle as much as I can and only use my bicycle or public transport to get around. But I am also unwilling to sacrifice my level of comfort despite knowing that I could help by simply lowering the temperature of my heating by 1 or 2 degrees. After all, it is winter and what better than a nice warm house to help you relax in the evening?
And that is the problem.
We all know what we can do, but few are actually willing to modify their lifestyles to accommodate the necessary changes.
This reminds me of an article I once read which focused on the innovations brought to a product of low interest to most of us: detergents.
Though few of us think twice about them, we all use them and the impact these products have on our environment is far from small… or is it?
The interviewee was Mr. Jean Baptiste Santoul, now CEO of Henkel Benelux. He explained that ever since the late 1800s, the brand has been busy with sustainability and has done it’s utmost to reduce the impact its products have on the environment by removing toxic elements such as chlorine for example (1907), by reducing the amount of detergent needed per machine, (now less than a third of what was used in the early 80s) or again by enabling its products to be efficient at temperatures as low as 20˚C. In fact, very few people know that most of these innovations, now standards in the industry, can be attributed to the brand.
The company has even just released Persil Eco Power, a new 100% vegetal, 100% biodegradable detergent onto the market, rendering what used to be available only in some specialist stores, freely available to all! A big step forward thus…
However, as Jean Baptiste explains, as environmentally friendly as these products are, the only way they can actually start to make a difference is if the end user, you and I, start using them.
And he has a fair point. The only person who can take responsibility for your footprint on the planet is yourself, and the only way to try and preserve the environment is if everyone does his share.
Whether this is done by searching for the right information in order to make the right choices, sacrificing those extra minutes in the shower or putting on an extra pair of socks at home… We can all do our bit!
Everyone is now talking of the importance of living green and sustainably. From the biggest businesses world-wide to your next door neighbour, everyone is discussing how to reduce your carbon footprint in order to help our planet get back in shape and provide a better future for us and the generations to come.
But how far are you really willing to go?
Talking to the people around me, I get the distinct impression that the will to take the steps to go greener is there. The theory at least, has been assimilated. The steps linking this theory to practice however seem harder to take for most.
Focusing on this point, I sent a questionnaire to several marketers to gather input about their vision on sustainability and the steps they take to reduce their footprint.
The answers to some of the questions gave a good insight into the reality of the situation.
As it turns out, all respondents have adapted their lifestyles to different extents.
Recycling is at the top of the list with all respondents active in this field. Purchasing biological products, using energy saving devices and reducing car use came close behind though most admitted they wished they did more to reduce their impact.
The most interesting answers however, came when asking them what held them back from doing more.
While some few claimed to have other priorities, the most common answers focused on a lower level of comfort - linked to showering shorter for example or lowering the heating.
Others mentioned the information overload surrounding the issue, which creates a lack of clarity, leading to difficulties in accepting new products or technologies as being authentic.
"I feel that I am constantly being bombarded with information about sustainability. I usually need to be completely convinced about an issue before committing myself to a particular set of actions … The terms sustainable and eco are just not enough for me.", one respondent mentions.
Finally, the additional costs generated by a switch to environmentally friendlier solutions were also one of the key discouraging factors for most respondents.
Now, I have to admit that I agree with most of their points. I personally tend to recycle as much as I can and only use my bicycle or public transport to get around. But I am also unwilling to sacrifice my level of comfort despite knowing that I could help by simply lowering the temperature of my heating by 1 or 2 degrees. After all, it is winter and what better than a nice warm house to help you relax in the evening?
And that is the problem.
We all know what we can do, but few are actually willing to modify their lifestyles to accommodate the necessary changes.
This reminds me of an article I once read which focused on the innovations brought to a product of low interest to most of us: detergents.
Though few of us think twice about them, we all use them and the impact these products have on our environment is far from small… or is it?
The interviewee was Mr. Jean Baptiste Santoul, now CEO of Henkel Benelux. He explained that ever since the late 1800s, the brand has been busy with sustainability and has done it’s utmost to reduce the impact its products have on the environment by removing toxic elements such as chlorine for example (1907), by reducing the amount of detergent needed per machine, (now less than a third of what was used in the early 80s) or again by enabling its products to be efficient at temperatures as low as 20˚C. In fact, very few people know that most of these innovations, now standards in the industry, can be attributed to the brand.
The company has even just released Persil Eco Power, a new 100% vegetal, 100% biodegradable detergent onto the market, rendering what used to be available only in some specialist stores, freely available to all! A big step forward thus…
However, as Jean Baptiste explains, as environmentally friendly as these products are, the only way they can actually start to make a difference is if the end user, you and I, start using them.
And he has a fair point. The only person who can take responsibility for your footprint on the planet is yourself, and the only way to try and preserve the environment is if everyone does his share.
Whether this is done by searching for the right information in order to make the right choices, sacrificing those extra minutes in the shower or putting on an extra pair of socks at home… We can all do our bit!
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