Designers’ Influence on the Green Movement

We’re hearing it everywhere these days - we’re a planet in peril. The WorldWildlife Fund claimed in a recent report that, at our current rate of consumption and wasteful ways, we’ll need 2 planets to sustain us by the year 2050. You may not think that your customers care about sustainability today but as a whole, consumers’ concern for the environment is growing and they are increasingly choosing greener brands. According to a recent study by DeLoitte Consulting, a leading UK retailer was able to achieve a 6 percent increase in sales in its stores by implementing a sustainability program. That increase was attributed to an improved brand image. Communicating good intentions can go a long way to elevate a brand’s status in the mind’s eye of consumers and make it their preferred choice. But there are challenges and designers must keep innovating new ways of getting the right information out there so people can make the right choices.

It’s critical for consumers to choose sustainable products in order to create more demand. The more demand, the more cooperative the supply side will be in helping move us toward true sustainability. Product quality and efficacy will increase, prices will drop and eventually the green movement will reach critical mass so some real change can take effect - hopefully in time to make a better life for our children’s children. Even though demand is increasing, many consumers are still failing to fully understand the environmental benefit of choosing eco-friendly products over conventional alternatives. They know that shopping green is better for the planet, but not enough to justify the premium pricing. This can only change with education and communications professionals playing a key role in clearly delivering important information.

So far, designers have done well to create a visual language for green marketing that appeals to consumers on an emotional level. There’s lots of earthbound tones, organic textures and colorful accents that convey naturalism, optimism and hint at a brighter, healthier tomorrow. With sophisticated packaging and advertising surrounding them, many green brands have a great feel, but skeptics need more assurance that their purchase is making a real difference for the environment and in turn, justifying higher costs. Marketers need to stretch their imaginations and think about effective ways to communicate the real impact of buying green. Timberland, maker of shoes and apparel for outdoor enthusiasts, have started to include a “nutritional label” with their products showing information on how choosing Timberland products affects the environment. Some experts have speculated that if every product had not only a UPC code and an MSRP but also an environmental cost associated with them, making informed, greener decisions would be a lot easier.

The folks at GoodGuide™ grabbed ahold of this idea and leveraged mobile, interactive media to create an iPhone app that connects to an ever-growing database of consumer goods. Each item in the database gives information on the health, environmental and social impacts of products and companies.

Currently the GoodGuide database contains over 70,000 product ratings in Food, Personal Care, Household Cleaners and Toys. You can create personalized shopping lists and easily avoid the products you don’t want. You can also view the nutritional information for foods, avoid products with controversial ingredients, filter lists according to your specific interests like animal-friendly, environmentally-friendly, fragrance-free, etc. This is just the kind of innovative thinking that empowers consumers at the point of sale to make the right choices for themselves and the well-being of human-kind.

Many factors and forces will come into play as we attempt to reverse the effects of the damage we’ve done to the planet since the industrial revolution. Each person must do his and her part to make a difference and exercise as much influence as they can in order to affect positive change. Designers play a critical role because they have a unique ability to connect with people, communicate relevant messages and persuade people to change their point of view. Digital interactive media is, and will continue to be, an important channel of communication in the Green Revolution because of its low impact to the environment, its ability to micro-target audiences and its far-reaching scope. As we march forward in our quest for sustainability, we may gain strength in our purpose by recalling the emphatic words of the late Dr. Ralph Brommer; “We’re All-One!”