Why Does Your Company Go Green?

I attended an event yesterday afternoon sponsored by the International Association of Business Communicators of Pittsburgh titled, “Going Green: Communicating Environmental Messages.” Between greenwashing, half-truths and just poor communications, green messaging is for the most part misunderstood by traditional marketers. I expected this event and its panel members to address this issue, but instead it seemed to only reinforce how to ‘be green.’ The only key takeaway common to all three panelists was one word, LEED.

LEED is great. It’s the benchmark, the mainstream, well-known rating and certification system. LEED is the lighthouse for all those floating off shore uneducated about green building. If our clients’ products contribute to LEED certification, you bet we convey that in our messaging. But LEED isn’t the end-all-be-all, and I have to question the longevity, validity and long-term marketability of LEED-related messaging.

One of the panelists from the Green Building Alliance of Pittsburgh hit the nail on the head when she said that it may be great that your product contributes to LEED certification, but there are other factors that make your company or business green. Is your manufacturing, packaging or shipping processes cleaner or more sustainable? It’s great that your windows are more energy efficient and made of recyclable aluminum, but so are many other manufacturers. What else are you doing?

I think we’re almost past the point of simply noting the recyclable properties of metal products. If your company wants to be green, tell me where that metal comes from. China? Fail.

I also think we’re rapidly approaching another level of greenwashing, one comprised of only product based green messaging. Any manufacturer can revise their messaging to include LEED benefits, but are they considering revising their products and corporate sustainability? This will be the next level of green messaging.

Unfortunately, the demand for the new green messaging will be market driven. Like LEED, it will take a few years before corporate sustainability becomes the new standard when choosing products. Currently, it’s sufficient to choose a product that contributes to LEED certification. But also just like LEED, this will end and manufacturers will have to find a new way to ‘be green.’