eco-labeling terms

Environmentalists have been becoming increasingly concerned recently that the economic slowdown may impede businesses from adopting more sustainable business practices, and that the drive towards greening our world is losing momentum. This week saw some encouraging signs to the contrary, with two major retailers forwarding significant initiatives to put their weight towards sustainability.

The first is Walgreen's, which cut the ribbon on its first LEED certified store in San Diego, as announced in June. BGTV member ecologism covers the opening here with a detailed description of the building as well as Walgreen's approach towards sustainability which includes merchandising its almost 7,000 stores with more environmentally products.

The other major announcement came from Wal-Mart, that behemoth retailer that generated over $400B in sales last year, and whose moves shape and influence the entire retailing ecosystem. The initiative involves a labeling system which requires every one of its 100K suppliers to calculate and disclose the environmental impact of its products, including environmental costs of production, transportation, and longer term effects. These labeling systems are considered incredibly complex, and while Walmart's system has been in the works for years, it will still take more time to implement (2011 is the earliest estimate).

Environmental labeling systems aren't an entirely new idea. Several models have existed in Europe and Asia for some time, and in 2007 UK Supermarket chain Tesco launched a "carbon labeling" program. But when Walmart gets involved, the ripple effects will be massive given the company's size and influence over how products are made distributed (it comprises 50% of some retail indexes). Of course the labeling is only one aspect of driving actual change in the production cycle, but Walmart believes that transparency is the first step.

You can find more on the topic and even follow the Twitter stream here on BingTweets.

7 Steps in the Lifecycle of a Green Product7 Steps in the Lifecycle of a Green Product

Despite claims to the contrary, products with zero environmental impact do not yet exist. But
these new approaches to green design point to a day when that might just be possible.

By Martin C. Pedersen

As we set out to create a green-products issue, we were confronted with a pair of dil­emmas. Amid all the hype and hot air some real progress was being made, but as Ray Ander­son told us in 2004, “No one should be claiming sustainable products. There is no such thing yet in terms of zero footprint. What you can do is demonstrate reduced footprint.” This remains true today—and yet the dizzying array of new efforts boggles the mind. There is no shortage of products claiming the green mantle. So how do we mark this vast but imperfect moment? Borrow­ing from the Okala Design Guide (www.idsa.org/whatsnew/sections/ecosection/okala.html), we’ve organized our stories around the life cycle of green products. Since there is still no perfect product, think of these as seven pieces of a Platonic whole, a set of best practices, and a possible road map for a new model of twenty-first-century manufacturing.

More at: http://www.metropolismag.com/cda/story.php?artid=2998