Greening the Dry Cleaning Industry Results in New Business Success Stories
This month we focused our Green Edge sustainability lens on the dry cleaning industry and found two companies that credit their very existence to climate change inspired innovation. We thought we'd share these companies with you to illustrate how focusing a sustainability lens on your business can result in opportunities to grow revenues, market share and customer loyalty. Let us know what you think!
 The Green Garmento was founded to make a dent in the 300 million pounds of single-use plastic bags that are dumped into US landfills every year. Their product, also called the Green Garmento, is a reusable dry cleaning bag that is made from a recyclable material. According to a recent article in The New York Times, the company expected to sell 340,000 bags by the end of July 2010, and has raised its first round of financing. In addition to the recent NY Times article, The Green Garmento was featured on the Today Show and may have landed its first product placement on the Showtime series "Weeds."
 Green Apple Cleaners was born of its owners' concerns with the toxic effects of dry cleaning on their soon-to-be-born twin boys. Launched in 2006 using non-toxic CO2 and wet-cleaning processes, Green Apple Cleaners had 1,000 customers lined up before they opened their first store. Now with five storefronts in the NY metro area and pickups from 10,000 customers in 800 buildings, Green Apple shuttles the clothes to and from its NJ plant in fuel-efficient, low-emission vehicles. They pay customers to return hangers and employ reusable or biodegradable plastic bags.
Green Apple Cleaners meet The Green Garmento! Although green cleaners are still in the minority, regulatory changes may force traditional cleaners to follow suit as states consider phasing out perchloroethylene, the main ingredient in traditional dry cleaning formulas. |
Green Edge Develops New Study on Green Certifications: Are They Really Worth It?
 Whether you are a consumer trying to reduce your carbon footprint or a producer trying to communicate the environmental benefits of your product, the world of green certifications is a confusing one at best. In order to help our clients determine whether it makes sense to pursue eco-labels for their products, which range from industrial gases to mechanical engineering services, we delved into the murky waters of green certifications and here's what we found.
In addition to buildings and food, we discovered that there are eco-labels for schools, electronics, furniture, cosmetics, detergent, flowers, appliances, plastic bags and businesses, including two specific certifications for real estate brokers, not to mention the widely acclaimed LEED AP credential for real estate and design professionals.
After identifying over 80 eco-labels ranging from those based on self-certification programs to those requiring rigorous third party protocols, we narrowed our initial investigation to multi-attribute certifications for consumer products.
Unlike single-attribute labels that only target a specific aspect of a product, such as recycled content or biodegradability, broader eco-labels such as Green Seal or EcoLogo are much more difficult to understand primarily because of their larger scope. As a figurative "seal of approval" (or in the case of the Good Housekeeping Green Seal of Approval, a literal one) these eco-labels attempt to assuage all of the consumer's concerns in one succinct label.
These eco-labels ask consumers and businesses to trust the certifying body that a certain product is environmentally friendly with regard to all aspects of that product. Our concerns about these labels range from concerns about the the level of rigor in testing and auditing a product, to concerns about whether the organizations that are issuing the certifications have the credentials to make difficult distinctions.
Our conclusion is that given the complexities of determining what makes a product environmentally friendly, especially when looking at a product holistically, a certifying body must have an overriding philosophy that makes sense along with a demanding certification process.
Stay tuned for the Green Edge white paper on this topic that will be published in September. In the meantime if you'd like to talk to us about which green certification is right for your product or service, click here and let us know.
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We Look Forward to Hearing from You
If you have questions about anything you've read in this newsletter or if you are wondering how to meet your own green challenges, contact me and I will be happy to respond via email.
Warmly,
greenedgeworkshops.com
ellen@greenedgellc.com
212 828 3840
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 Ellen Sinreich is President of Green Edge, LLC, which helps organizations leverage the power of green through Green Edge Workshops and Green Edge Consulting.
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News from Our President
The International Facilities Management Association (IFMA) Turns to Sinreich
At a recent meeting of IFMA's Sustainability Committee, Ellen Sinreich helped to lead a panel discussion on green leases with representatives of Deutsche Bank, Tishman Speyer, Tiffany and NBC/Universal, among others. The discussion ranged from what a green lease is (our definition: a lease that facilitates the sustainable construction, operation, maintenance and renovation of a property) to appropriate returns on energy efficiency investments. For more information on what leading real estate owners and Fortune 500 tenants are doing when it comes to greening their facilities, click here to contact us.
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Greening Your Organization: NYU Seminar and Green Edge Workshops
 At a recent NYU seminar, Ellen Sinreich led participants through a case study on organizational greening, much like she does during the Green Edge Workshops. Ellen suggested the following 10-step process: 1) Set the vision, 2) Create the task force, 3) Examine green options, 4) Adopt a sustainability plan, 5) Staff the green initiatives, 6) Commit to internal education, 7) Green your operations, 8) Engage in communications and outreach, 9) Monitor your progress, and 10) Continuously improve your sustainability goals and achievements. Contact us, no matter where your company is on its green journey, to discuss how Green Edge can help you move forward.
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CUNY Publishes Sinreich White Paper on Financing Energy Efficiency Improvements
 As noted in our July 2010 Newsletter,
energy is a top concern of most Americans who think we need to fundamentally change our current energy policy. However, Congress doesn't agree as evidenced by its failure to take up significant energy legislation this session. Therefore, if your organization is considering energy efficiency improvements, you'll need to figure out how to finance those improvements within the current federal regulatory framework. To request a copy of Ellen's recently published white paper on financing energy efficiency improvements, which addresses these issues, click here.
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Green Edge Workshops and Consulting
Green Edge Workshops and Consulting Services help you develop and leverage your Green Edge to maximize enterprise value. Basics, Signature or Premium Workshops can each be tailored to meet your needs, budget, schedule and location. If you have a green challenge you'd like to meet, contact us.
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The Green Edge Newsletter
Our newsletter is another way we reach out to you (our clients, colleagues and friends) to encourage, motivate and facilitate the greening of organizations.
This August 2010 issue is a first look at green certifications. We will continue to explore this issue and how it relates to companies that are developing their Green Edge Advantage. Future issues will highlight strategies for greening supply chains, transportation, distribution and general organizational activities that defy categorization. We will also cover how companies are branding, communicating and marketing green initiatives.
If you'd like your company to be featured in one of the next issues of the Green Edge Newsletter, we'd love to hear from you. We are always looking for great green stories to share with our community of clients, colleagues and friends.
If you missed our previous issues, link to our archives home page or our blog.
Contact us for more information and to join our mailing list.
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The Green Edge Newsletter is published monthly by Green Edge, LLC.
EDITOR: Ellen Sinreich
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Sara Mears
Copyright © 2010 Green Edge, LLC |
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