Tuesday, 23 February 2010
Monday, 22 February 2010
Friday, 19 February 2010
CoolBrands top 15 duurzame initiatieven
CoolBrands heeft de 15 beste duurzaamheids initiatieven van merken van dit moment geselecteerd. Hieronder vind je de selectie die nu wordt voorgelegd aan marketing professionals en coole consumenten.
KIA Duurzaam Innoveren, reduceren, compenseren. KIA ontwikkelt technologien waarmee auto's minder CO2 uitstoten, geeft KIA rijders tips om zuiniger te rijden en plant Jatropha struiken ter compensatie voor de CO2 die door KIA auto's in Nederland wordt uitgestoten.
Persil ECO Power Persil ECO Power is gemaakt van 100% plantaardige bestanddelen en is daardoor 100% biologisch afbreekbaar. Het maakt geen gebruik van de petrochemische industrie waar wasmiddelen normaal gesproken van worden gemaakt.
IKEA Accepteert alleen nog maar legaal hout uit verantwoord beheerde bossen.
HP Heeft een nieuwe lijn printers geintroduceerd, het Eco Highlights label. De printers zijn voor 83% gemaakt van gerecyclede materialen.
Innocent Maakt natuurlijke drankjes in een 100% recyclebare verpakking, gebruikt alleen maar ‘responsible ingredients’ en streeft naar zo min mogelijk vervuiling tijdens het productieproces.
The Body Shop Verzorgingsproducten op basis van duurzame, natuurlijke ingrediënten, diervriendelijk gemaakt en met aandacht voor eerlijke handel.
Sony Ericsson Greenheart mobiele telefoons zijn geproduceerd met een minimum aan schadelijke materialen.
Heinz Tomaten Ketchup Bestaat uit puur natuur zongerijpte tomaten en het productie proces wordt steeds duurzamer waardoor ook de CO2 uitstoot wordt verminderd.
Sanex Zero% Sanex Zero% bevat alleen die ingredienten die noodzakelijk zijn om je huid gezond te houden, niet meer en niet minder. De navulverpakking bevat 70% minder materiaal en is volledig recyclebaar.
Ariel Excel Gel Wast op lage temperatuur schoon, zelfs op 15 of 20 graden.
Bosch Heeft wasmachines ontwikkeld die een lage gradenknop hebben zodat je daadwerkelijk op 15 of 20 graden kunt wassen.
Siemens Maakt apparaten om zonne-, wind- en waterenergie om te zetten in groene energie die consumenten kunnen gebruiken.
Chiquita Chiquita hergebruikt materialen en afval van de ananas- en bananenproductie en garandeert een bepaald werk- en leefklimaat voor de boeren.
Douwe Egberts Wil alleen nog maar 100% gecertificeerde koffiebonen voor al haar koffieproducten.
Wil je je eigen mening delen? Ga naar www.CoolBrands.org en doe mee aan de CoolSustainability verkiezing!
**********************
NOOT VOOR DE REDACTIE CoolBrands™ is een project van Maarten Schäfer en Anouk Pappers. Andere projecten zijn CoolBrandsHouse, CoolCharity, CoolTravel en CoolTravelForest. Porter Novelli verzorgt de communicatie en PR voor alle cool projecten. Voor meer informatie kunt u contact opnemen met Anouk Pappers (anouk@coolbrands.org) of met Maarten Schäfer (maarten@coolbrands.org)
Thursday, 18 February 2010
Fighting desertification in Gömürgen, Turkey
Some time ago, Gömürgen was situated amongst rolling, wooded hills. Today, the trees have been felled and the region looks more like a desert, suffering from soil erosion and floods, which has led to an exodus from this inhospitable environment.Ömer Adigüzel, now living and working in Dusseldorf, Germany still feels for his family’s old home and therefore created Hifswerk Gömürgen e.V., an aid foundation dedicated to halting the desertification process and the reforestation of the area through donations. To this purpose, the association received support from the “Make an Impact on Tomorrow” (MIT) project initiated by Henkel.
As a first step to the process and together with helpers from the community, the police, local school and cultural association from Gömürgen, the foundation has selected and 180,000 square meter area to start this process. The area has been fenced of to protect it from the ravenous appetite of the herds populating the area and hundreds of trees are to be planted by volunteers this coming April.
For more information about the project, visit project’s website at www.Goemuergen.de
Tuesday, 16 February 2010
Persil Eco Power guest lecture at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam
26th of January 2010, Stijn de Beer at the
Stijn de Beer, marketing director at Henkel gave a university guest lecture at the Focusing on the subject of sustainability, Stijn shared a marketing case about a new 100% ecological detergent which will be launch in February 2010 by Henkel: Persil Eco Power with the International Marketing and Research students.
Facing stiff competition and an increasingly critical consumer base, Stijn explained the importance of the research and innovations behind the new product that led to it being of 100% vegetal origin, and therefore 100% biodegradable, a true innovation in the field of detergents.
The students were later invited to comment on the approach taken by Henkel, providing relevant feedback as to how they perceived the product and their approach to sustainability.
Monday, 15 February 2010
Friday, 12 February 2010
How green are YOU?
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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