Corporate Social Responsibility’s Seven Best Practices: Avoid Greenwashing Through Stakeholder Engagement

Corporate Social Responsibility’s Seven Best Practices: Avoid Greenwashing Through Stakeholder Engagement

A look at the seven best practices in corporate social responsibility (CSR). They include: setting measurable goals, stakeholder engagement,sustainability issues mapping, sustainability management systems (SMS), lifecycle assessment,sustainability/CSR reporting, and sustainability branding.

Role of Retail in Sustainability

Role of Retail in Sustainability

As manufacturers continue incorporating sustainability practices within their product manufacturing processes and supply chains, the retail industry – as the main customer point of contact – bears the responsibility of educating consumers about the sustainability choices available in the market.

Sustainability: What Matters Most?

Sustainability: What Matters Most?

Numerous consumer polls proclaim increased spending on green products, but they fail to provide much insight into the actual purchase trends or specific decision drivers behind consumer choices. Instead of relying solely on such generalized market surveys, adoption of a strategic market research process will help businesses boost their revenue, reputation and competitive advantage from sustainability.

Defining a Sustainable Brand

Defining a Sustainable Brand

With the Sustainable Brands 2010 Conference quickly approaching, consumers are asking more and more the same questions: What is a sustainable brand? How are they different from the rest?

The Changing Green Consumer Marketplace

The Changing Green Consumer Marketplace

The Changing Consumer Marketplace, the third webinar in the Sustainable Brands Boot Camp, provided up-to-date insights into the changing green consumer profile and what motivates consumers to buy green in today’s economy. Companies can use this market research to craft green product value propositions and make green profile decisions. Key takeaways? Green pricing premiums won’t work in a post-recession economy and sustainability has reached a tipping point into mainstream.

Trust: Why Business Lost It, And How To Win It Back (Part 1 of 3)

Trust: Why Business Lost It, And How To Win It Back (Part 1 of 3)

There is a serious lack of trust among consumers these days. Citizens of every country are eying large national and multi-national corporations with a narrowed, suspicious gaze. Questions are being asked. Answers demanded. With taxpayers around the world bailing out stupendous failures in the financial, housing, and insurance sectors, there is more than a lack of consumer confidence affecting the market. Frankly, we’re over it. We just don’t trust big business anymore. This is actually nothing new. But the uniform opinion of distrust, leveraged by the social media tools of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Ning sites, and blogging seems to have brought us to a tipping point.

Standard Announced for Environmental Personal Care Products

Even through consumers are more eco aware and seek to purchase green products, it has become increasingly difficult to do so as greenwashing affects 98% of products with ‘all-natural’ and ‘organic’ labelling. Shoppers are confused and frustrated by false and misleading claims and indecipherable ingredient lists on labels. With this in mind, Green Seal has developed a standard to help consumers identify what is really green and what isn’t when shopping the personal care aisle.