January 14, 2008

Brands with a Conscience

by Allison Mooney

Companies big and small are “going green,” but are they trying to clean up the environment or their image? Last week, international think tank The Medinge Group released its fifth annual Brands with a Conscience list, naming eight companies that are actually affecting change–selflessly–through sustainable, socially responsible behavior. They are…(drumroll)…

-Aveda
-Chocolonely
-Hennes & Mauritz
-Happy Computers
-International Watch Co.
-Pret a Manger
-Dame Anita Roddick
-Star School

The group judged nominees on their humanity and ethics, over financial worth. According to Thomas Gad, Chairman of the Medinge Group, “…new green products and alternatives need to become attractive in the minds of people, in spite of their sometimes being more expensive and different.” “The continued shift away from ‘branding-as-persuasion-to-buy’ to ‘branding-as-how-we-improve-the-world’ -with authentic, human considerations at the core of the organization-really gathers pace,” remarked another voter. “This year’s award winners effectively counter the ridiculousness of the profit-above-all approach which too many organizations take.” So basically it is possible to be a green company, but not necessarily profitable.

Interestingly, though, about half of American consumers take “sustainability” into account when choosing a brand, according to a new survey by Information Resources. And as JWT reported last year, more than 80% of American teenagers are concerned about the environment and the role of the United States in causing pollution. So while sustainable practices themselves might not be a profit motive, increased sales certainly are.

[via Dexigner]

Article categories: Advertising & Branding, Environmental, Ethical Consumerism

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3 Responses to “Brands with a Conscience”

  1. cb
    Posted from: 71.4.190.34

    January 14th, 2008 at 2:33 pm

    i love that we are moving from just environmentally-responsible to the larger and more encompassing idea of social-responsibility, because while i think the green movement was great for introducing this concept of sustainability, the idea of “a better and more sustainable world” does not stop at the environment and should not stop at companies/brands who are only about the environment. i love that there are brands on here, old and new, whose missions are not necessarily about organic or green or anything, it’s just about being a good (in this case socially-responsible) company.

    JWT said “Blue is the New Green” is a trend… while i understand the intent of giving it a little buzz factor, i can’t help but think that social-responsibility is not a trend. I like to think of it as just the next step in the evolution of business, one that demands transparency and through transparency responsibility.

    It really reminds me of “massive change” by Bruce Mau, who spoke at the Account Planning Conference (i think i saw some PSFK people out there)… in that it is about creating - again - a “better and more sustainable world” through examining the entire life-cycle.

    anyways, here’s another take on http://www.thehalogroup.net/blog/2008/01/transparency-is-the-new-green.html> transparency being the new green.

  2. links for 2008-01-16 « Francis Anderson
    Posted from: 66.135.48.142

    January 15th, 2008 at 8:30 pm

    [...] Brands with a Conscience Companies big and small are “going green,” but are they trying to clean up the environment or their image? (tags: environment ethical green brands marketing) [...]

  3. MSN to Launch Cause Marketing Portal on PSFK
    Posted from: 72.47.211.46

    January 17th, 2008 at 9:41 pm

    [...] of WhatOnEarthIsGoingOn. This point was proved by a recent survey from Information Resources we cited the other day that showed half of American consumers taking “sustainability” into [...]

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