Environmental Leader

New York-based advertising agency Union has launched a green offshoot dubbed Union Green.

The National Wildlife Federation has signed on as its flagship account. NWF says that Union Green was selected in part because of its mission to minimize the environmental impact of the creation of all marketing materials.

Other initiatives will include direct-to-consumer cross platform marketing programs, which will identify and target consumers at various stages of “greening” their own lives.

“Green consumers are not all the same – we see them as being at various stages of greening, shades of green,” said Nelson Martinez, Founding CEO/CCO, Union Green. “We’re seeing increased segmentation that results in shifts in messaging, and confusion for brands.”

The agency has developed a system of guidelines called Eco-Mark, which it will follow in order to create more Earth-friendly advertising, DMNews reports. Union Green hopes to launch Eco-Mark free of charge on its Web site.

The agency says it runs a virtual office in order to limit the company’s contribution to carbon emissions and pollution. Video networking from home and telecommuting are used whenever practical.