Posts Tagged ‘green’

Makers of SunChips Appeal to Both Environmental Concerns and Delicate Ears

Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011

“Frito-Lay hopes its new SunChips bag will please consumers who complained in droves last year when the company rolled out a “green” bag that could be tossed into the compost bin.

Snackers said the new bag was simply too noisy and detracted from the chip-eating experience. (Translation: In other words, it drowned out the TV and was harder to keep late-night secret chip eating a secret.)”

What do you think?

Would you ever refuse to buy a snack food because the packaging made too much noise?  For that matter, would you take the time to complain to a company if you thought their snack packaging was too crinkly?

Asia Is Going Green And Leaving The U.S. In The Dust

Friday, September 25th, 2009

If you thought that the U.S. and Europe were the powerhouses of green technology, you should probably check out what Asia is proposing to do below. Just a hint: it involves a lot of money!

  • In August, leaders from China, Japan, and South Korea will try to work out a plan that proposes sharing resources and technology to create a green-technology powerhouse.
  • Japan and South Korea have highly advanced technology sectors while China is one of the strongest manufacturing powers in the world. By combining forces, they hope to easily dominate the green economy.
  • The U.S. and Europe may respond to the Asian countries’ effort with renewed intensity and investment or could find themselves falling behind in a new low-carbon economy.

Facts & Figures

  • In their economic stimulus programs, green investments account for 81% of South Korea’s and 38% of China’s spending – the U.S.’s is at 12%.
  • Estimates put Europe’s investment in clean energy at $50 billion for 2008, while North America’s is only at $30 billion.
  • In June 2009, the U.S. started a $25 billion program to help car makers retool their assembly lines for more fuel-efficient car production.

Best Quote

“[South Korea hopes to create] a new paradigm of qualitative growth which uses less energy and is more compatible with environmental sustainability.” – Han Seung-Soo, Prime Minister of South Korea

Spend Money, Be An Activist?

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

You can affect change in all sorts of ways. But lately, people are using their wallets to make their voices heard.

  • In larger numbers than ever before, consumers are considering the environmental and social aspects of the things they buy – not just the price.
  • Consumer demand has been driving a transformation by traditional companies to become more sustainable, and often more profitable, in the way their operate their businesses.
  • Even though much progress has been made, transparent and authentic sustainable business practices are still not the norm. Increasingly vocal demand by consumers for sustainable products will continue to drive this “revolution” into all areas of business.

Facts & Figures

  • In a TIME poll, 40% of people reported buying a product because of its social or environmental benefits.
  • Socially responsible investment (SRI) funds have increased in number from 55 in 1995 to 260 today – they manage 11% of all money invested in US markets.
  • In 2007, a Goldman Sachs report found that companies that emphasized sustainability would outperform the financial market.

Best Quote

“We have always known that heedless self-interest was bad morals, we know now that it is bad economics.” – President Franklin D. Roosevelt