As Jonathan Bardzik, a Lawn & Garden Retailer contributor and director of marketing and industry relations with the American Nursery & Landscape Association, noted in his January 2008 story (“A Fad with Staying Power”), sustainability first emerged as a marketing strategy. And to some disillusioned consumers, it remains as little more than a ploy retailers use to drive sales around “holidays” such as Earth Day.
Yesterday, many retailers offered discounts on “eco-friendly” products; Whole Foods did away with disposable plastic bags completely, offering only paper bags and reusable grocery sacks in its stores; even clothing retailer Banana Republic threw its hat into the ring by donating one percent of its sales to conserving urban green spaces for one week.
Environmentalists celebrate each year by planting trees and cleaning up parks, but retailers have recently seen the day as an opportunity to market themselves as eco-friendly. Some are concerned that Earth Day is being embraced for the wrong reasons, according to a recent story in the Orlando Sentinel.
"I think it is excellent that corporations are taking steps toward being sustainable, but it has been a real diluted marketing ploy at this point," said Emily Ruff, director of the Florida School of Holistic Living and owner of Evolve, an Orlando store specializing in sustainable, locally made products such as biodegradable shampoos and Earth-friendly detergents.
Macy's, which handed out eco-activity books to children for Earth Day and gave away saplings to its customers yesterday, says it is taking steps to be sustainable for the right reasons. The stores also plan to use recycled and eco-friendly shopping bags and packaging materials.
"We have to accept the fact that big-box stores exist and people find them convenient and they shop there," said Frank Jackalone, senior regional representative for the Sierra Club, in the Sentinel story. "To the degree that they are selling environmental friendly products, we accept that as progress."
The questions that still exist are whether retailers’ “eco-friendly” practices are doing genuine good for the environment or simply a surface effort to attract the green-minded customer — and whether everyday consumers will reach into their pockets to pay for pursuing sustainability.
What is your garden center doing, on Earth Day and beyond, to be more sustainable, and how are your customers responding to these efforts? Are you “greenwashing” your customers or truly doing your part to make the Earth a better place for generations to come?
