1.
Greg DiMedio
CEO and Communications Consultant
Greening Your Business
Promoting and Marketing Green Products
@GreenerExpressgreg@greenerexp.com
www.greenerexpressions.com

2.
Green Marketing
2
Process of promoting and
selling products and/or services
based on their environmental
and social benefits.

3.
B2C Demand for Green Products
3
Consumer Demand Grows
• Record high 71% of Americans consider
the environment when they shop.
• Half of all consumers actively seek out
environmental information about the
products they buy.
• About 75% say it’s okay if a company is
not environmentally perfect as long as it
is honest and transparent about its
efforts.
• And 35% will pay more for
environmentally friendly products.

4.
B2B Demand for Green Products
4
Supply Chain – Green Rules of the Road
• Walmart’s Supplier Sustainability Index
• Detailed sustainable agriculture data from brands
such as Pepperidge Farm, Arnold and Sara Lee for
shelf placement
• Unilever Sustainable Agriculture Code
• “We expect all our suppliers of agricultural raw
materials to commit to joining the sustainability
journey…”
• LEED – Green Buildings Criteria
• Performance-based standards with constraints on
building product materials and processes

5.
5
Reasons to Market Green Products
Sustainability Can:
• Appeal to and increase consumer demand.
• Protect and bolster your brand.
• Turn around a business through product
innovation and differentiation.
• Reduce risks and strengthen supply chain sales
and relationships.

6.
Green Means Business
6
Businesses are innovating and greening operations, supply chain, and brand.
80% of Standard
and Poors 100
produced
sustainability
reports in 2006.
An Accenture survey reveals 93 percent of
CEOs see sustainability as important to
their company’s future success.
125 million
consumers are active
in the green marketplace,
with 76% believing it is
very important for
brands to embrace
sustainability.
Dupont reduced energy consumption by
6 percent, avoiding over $6 billion in
energy expenditures from 1990 to 2010
while growing the company by 40%.
UPS saved 3 million gallons
of fuel by eliminating most left
(cross-traffic) turns.
Wal-Mart's sustainability
program calls for all suppliers to
reduce packaging by 5% by 2013.
McGraw Hill Construction
survey reveals green
home construction is
booming, growing
between 29% and 38% of
the market by 2016.

7.
Level of “Green” and Marketing
7
Determine Level of “Green”
Aspiring Demonstrating Integrating Leading
Sustainability
Practices
Anecdotal Measured Measured
against others
Sets the bar and
moves others
Certs/Awards None Local or self-
verifying
Third-party verified Third-party and
International
Sustainability
Policies
Starting Fragmented but
operating
Formal policy Fully integrated into
enterprise
Audits/
assessments
None Internal Internal & external Internal & external
Sustainability
Reports
None Informal Formal GRI/CSR Reporting
Global
Support
Structures
Individual Green team Sustainability
department
Responsible at
executive level

8.
Level of “Green” and Marketing
8
Form a Green Marketing Strategy
Aspiring • Strong internal communications and consensus building
• Conservative messaging
• Modest external communications
Demonstrating • Focus on internal stakeholders needs
• Growing understanding of external audience needs
• Testing messages and validating claims
Integrating • Intimate understanding of both internal and external audiences
• Amplifying credible, green product attributes
• Engaging peers about practices and performance
Leading • Full blown public relations and marketing efforts.
• Advanced sustainability reporting
• Direct engagement with peers and influencing them

9.
Internal Alignment - External Communications
9Public Relations
Proposals & contracts
Strengthen claims,
bolster external
communications, and
expand commercial
capacity!
Policies and Procedures Sustainability
Assessment Work
Assess and
communicate
sustainability practices
and credentials.
Internal
External
External Marketing

10.
Example
10

11.
Example
11

12.
Example
12
2013 Sustainability Leaders survey

13.
Example
13
Since 2008 Unilever has avoided
more than $395 million of costs:
• $132 million in energy
• $245 million in materials
• $22 million in water
• $13 million in waste disposal
Company also has grown sales by
26% from $54.4 billion to $67.6
billion over the same period.
“If we achieve our sustainability targets and no one else follows, we will have failed.”
- Paul Polman - CEO, Unilever

14.
Ethical Considerations and Conduct
14
• Avoid greenwashing
• green (environmentalist) + brainwashing
• “To make people believe that your
company is doing more to protect the
environment than it really is.”
– Cambridge Dictionary
• e.g., "All Natural" Pesticide
• Follow FTC guidelines
• Helps marketers avoid making misleading environmental claims
• e.g., “non-toxic” claim requires scientific evidence
• Be transparent and honest
• Data and performance for external scrutiny

15.
Summary
15
• Demand for green is strong and growing.
• Going and marketing green can reduce risks,
increase sales, and grow profits.
• Assess your sustainability standing and
communicate accordingly.
• Look to the leaders for best practices and
inspiration.
• Understand the ethos, validate claims, and be
transparent.

16.
Helpful Business Resources
16
LocalNational