Benjamin Moore’s Marketing Skips Eco-Friendly Aspects of New Paint

March 14, 2007

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Benjamin Moore spent $150 million developing a new line of paint, Aura, which is less harmful to the environment because it releases only one-third as much in volatile organic compounds as regular paint does, Forbes reports (via Green Options and Reveries).

But the company isn’t marketing the eco-friendly aspects because customers aren’t that interested and because ”green” paint has an image problem. In the past, low VOCs meant subdued hues.

Benjamin Moore says it has fixed that problem and that Aura can offer any of the company’s 3,300 hues. BzzAgent, a word of mouth marketing firm, is working on a campaign to raise interest.

California and New York, along with a dozen other states, limit VOC content in paint. Aura, on the market all of six months, already is up to 10% of interior paint sales by volume at 150 stores on the West Coast.

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Reader Comments

I am building a “green” bathroom vignette in our showroom. It took me a very long time to find affordable products to include in this bathroom. Most of the vanity cabinets, vanity counters and even tiles where astronomically expensive and had very long lead times.

I have always been an “enironmentalist” and was thrilled when more home furnishings were being made. However, at this time, a thoroughly green 60″ cabinet made out of bamboo, let’s say was quoted to me at $3200.00 wholesale with a 12 week lead time. It was georgous, but I can’t sell that. I have a 4,000 sf showroom and every inch of my realesate has to sell. I can’t afford to have items like that taking space just because they look nice.

A recycled glass vanity top, same story. Out of site prices. Practically all the perfectly “green” materials for furnishings are beyond even uppre-middle class consumers. Just take a look at a newspaper story about a “green” home. You’ll find the contruction was green, but for the most part, the furnishings are not. Yet, they say it is easy being green and not more expensive. Only in the building, not the furnishing.

I know because I have been researching my green bathroom for nine months.

One man on a green list serv I belong to heard my dilema. He wrote and gave me the best advice I had ever receive, and I quote, “Geri, quit trying to make your display 100% green. You will make yourself crazy. Look into some of the vendors you already use and see if they have a line that is ‘green friendly’. Too have your display environmentally and affordable will go a long way and do a lot of good since the average person can afford it.”

That is what I did and it should be competed in less than one month.

Geri Spieler | June 17th, 2007