How green are the products you use and consume on a daily basis? Many brands tout their “greenness,” but how do consumers really determine these products’ environmental impact? As the desire to better understand how consumption impacts the environment increases, many Web sites have popped up to help inform consumers. One such site is www.climatecounts.org. The site’s goal is to build awareness of how the activities of companies affect climate change. A company is scored using two criteria to determine if the company measures its climate footprint, is reducing its impact on global warming, supports climate legislation, and publicly discloses its climate actions. This scoring system, as well as other resources available through Climate Counts®, enables consumers to make informed decisions and support companies that take climate change seriously.
The trend of green scoring is catching on at the brand level as well. More and more brands are beginning to disclose the greenness of their products and how the greenness is calculated. Timberland® is a perfect example of this with the use of its GREEN INDEX™. Not only does Timberland® educate consumers on how the company calculates its GREEN INDEX™, but also about the ecologically harmful aspects of the shoemaking process and what the company is dong to use more environmentally friendly alternatives.
How has the green effort affected your purchase decisions?
