Go Green for the Right Reasons
Make a genuine decision to be green. Don't be a Greenwashing Company.
Greenwashing (green whitewash) is the practice of companies who spin their products or green practices as environmentally friendly, such as by presenting cost cuts as reductions in use of resources. It is a deceptive use of green PR or green marketing. The term green sheen has similarly been used to describe organizations that attempt to show that they are adopting practices beneficial to the environment.
Be Honest with the public - and yourselves.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) provides guidelines for environmental marketing claims. These guidelines give the FTC the right to prosecute false and misleading advertisement claims. The green guidelines were not created to be used as an enforceable guideline but instead were intended to be followed voluntarily. Listed below are the green guidelines set by the FTC.
1) Qualifications and disclosures: The Commission traditionally has held that in order to be effective, any qualifications or disclosures such as those described in these guides should be sufficiently clear, prominent and understandable to prevent deception. Clarity of language, relative type size and proximity to the claim being qualified, and an absence of contrary claims that could undercut effectiveness, will maximize the likelihood that the qualifications and disclosures are appropriately clear and prominent.
2) Distinction between benefits of product, package and service: An environmental marketing claim should be presented in a way that makes clear whether the environmental attribute or benefit being asserted refers to the product, the product's packaging, a service or to a portion or component of the product, package or service. In general, if the environmental attribute or benefit applies to all but minor, incidental components of a product or package, the claim need not be qualified to identify that fact. There may be exceptions to this general principle. For example, if an unqualified "recyclable" claim is made and the presence of the incidental component significantly limits the ability to recycle the product, then the claim would be deceptive.
3) Overstatement of environmental attribute: An environmental marketing claim should not be presented in a manner that overstates the environmental attribute or benefit, expressly or by implication. Marketers should avoid implications of significant environmental benefits if the benefit is in fact negligible.
4) Comparative claims: Environmental marketing claims that include a comparative statement should be presented in a manner that makes the basis for the comparison sufficiently clear to avoid consumer deception. In addition, the advertiser should be able to substantiate the comparison.
The FTC has said in 2010 that it will update its guidelines for environmental marketing claims in an attempt to reduce Greenwashing.
Our Green and Sustainability Marketing Services
It's easier to gain good PR than to undo bad PR. Let DBR Creative help you develop a unique, workable green marketing solution that is honest, effective and truly does resonate with your audience. We provide a wide-range of marketing solutions including:
• RFP and Proposal Design
• iPhone and iPad App Development
• Green Marketing Audits
• Internet Marketing and Social Networking
• Website Design and Website Retrofits
• Media Kits and Public Relations Support
• Web-based Mobile and Field Management Tools
DBR's Own Green Initiatives
Consumers are more and more interested in responsible corporate citizenry and becoming a green enterprise today gives DBR Creative a competitive advantage. Though most of DBR’s business operations are handled through our Chicago office, DBR field offices have implemented a number of changes on how it does business to substantially reduce both operational costs and carbon footprint with the following green initiatives and sustainability programs.
We have discovered as a green employer, an increasing number of candidates are attracted to companies who openly value environmental responsibility. Our focus on developing an online collaboration portal with a solid telecommuting program affords flexibility to members of our team and their schedules, as well as an improved, quality of response time to our clients because of staggered work hours and shifts.
DBR Creative’s green initiatives include:
Green Printing Practices. By maintaining control of our printing facilities, DBR Creative has implemented greener printing practices including the use of vegetable-based inks, which have lower levels of VOC than traditional petroleum inks, and are less volatile in storage. This reduces harmful carbon emissions while creating a safer work environment for our production staff.
We treat most of our prints with non-toxic water-based aqueous (AQ) coating to improve bio-degradability of our printed products and improve print drying times. We provide AQ coating with Gloss and Matte finish. We also recycle all unused paper scraps, printing plates and ink waste.
Improved Recruitment of Employee Talent. In a May 2008 online survey, the Telework Coalition found that 87 percent of respondents would limit a job search based on potential cost of commuting. In fact, 28 percent of respondents said they were already looking for a new job because of commuting costs. By offering a telecommuting option to key employees with skills that are hard to replace, DBR provides a better work-life balance, while minimizing employees’ commuting expenses. The added benefit is that DBR Creative can offer extended service and response hours, including weekends and holidays, because of varied work schedules.
Increased Productivity. It’s no secret that happy and relaxed workers are more productive than those who are overwhelmed and stressed by the challenges of balancing family obligations, a long commute, and a full-time job. DBR Creative also has a Response Incentive program in place to reward efficient production and response times to our clients.
Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery. Natural disasters, the threat of terrorism and workplace violence have all forced companies to look at different ways to protect their most valuable asset – their people. DBR is consistenly looking at business continuity planning, and while most managers view IT systems as the major component of a business continuity plan, DBR’s telecommuting program plays a important role in keeping operations going should something happen to the corporate office.
Availability to Clients. Client’s schedules don’t always operate on a 9-5 basis. Our clients may need access to DBR’s support outside of the window of standard business hours – particularly in a crisis. Delivering this level of customer support – whether in-office or in the field, is greatly improved by providing employees easy access to enterprise communications from their homes.
