Comments on: A Greener View of Corporate ‘Eco’-nomics http://www.environmentalleader.com/2009/08/19/a-greener-view-of-corporate-eco-nomics/ Environmental Leader Fri, 25 May 2012 22:05:52 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Warwick Stirling, Global Director of Energy and Sustainability, Whirlpool Corporation http://www.environmentalleader.com/2009/08/19/a-greener-view-of-corporate-eco-nomics/comment-page-1/#comment-142633 Warwick Stirling, Global Director of Energy and Sustainability, Whirlpool Corporation Thu, 20 Aug 2009 18:42:56 +0000 http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=19943#comment-142633 Going green has definitely become of paramount importance to Corporations because more and more consumers are making this a criterion in their purchasing decision green practices are a new and innovative lens for identifying cost saving measures government regulations around the world are becoming increasingly stringent it is more important than ever before an important item on the CSR agenda What's also interesting is how our understanding of what green means has evolved. E.g. In the appliance industry, at one point in time, green would have been associated with only energy and water efficiency of the appliance. However, these are only measures that apply to the 'consumption' cycle of the appliance. To be truly green, a company needs to conduct a cradle-to-grave life-cycle analysis of a product's environmental impact. This would include analyzing the practices used in the design, manufacturing, distribution, consumption/usage and finally end-of-life recycling of the product. However, what would remain a challenge is educating a consumer about this overall impact of a product as they deliberate between various options. Walmart's sustainability index may be a step in the right direction and Enterprises will need to continually update their thinking on how to best educate the consumer. Going green has definitely become of paramount importance to Corporations because more and more consumers are making this a criterion in their purchasing decision green practices are a new and innovative lens for identifying cost saving measures government regulations around the world are becoming increasingly stringent it is more important than ever before an important item on the CSR agenda

What’s also interesting is how our understanding of what green means has evolved. E.g. In the appliance industry, at one point in time, green would have been associated with only energy and water efficiency of the appliance. However, these are only measures that apply to the ‘consumption’ cycle of the appliance. To be truly green, a company needs to conduct a cradle-to-grave life-cycle analysis of a product’s environmental impact. This would include analyzing the practices used in the design, manufacturing, distribution, consumption/usage and finally end-of-life recycling of the product.

However, what would remain a challenge is educating a consumer about this overall impact of a product as they deliberate between various options. Walmart’s sustainability index may be a step in the right direction and Enterprises will need to continually update their thinking on how to best educate the consumer.

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