The tides are changing at the store everyone knows for its always low prices. Wal-Mart’s new “greener” mantra is reducing waste as well as prices.

Already on the shelves at more than 200 Wal-Mart stores are EcoLogo-certified BioSource Solutions cleaning products and Oxi Brite’s Greenline cleaning solutions, which have been developed in partnership with Wal-Mart.

Novozymes, world leader in bio-innovations, is also working with Wal-Mart to provide their suppliers with ways to improve their products. At a Thursday, Aug. 7, meeting in Bentonville, Arkansas, Steve Schotta’s Doing Business in Bentonville and Novozymes representatives helped Wal-Mart to go the “sustainable” mile. Wal-Mart is reportedly asking buyers to submit innovative “green” products for selection that fall into its new sustainability criteria. According to The Morning News out of Arkansas, the products up for selection must be able to tell a story that incorporates an environmental impact that consumers care about and understand. Click here for more on this story.

Lee Scott, President and CEO of Wal-Mart Stores, made a speech in January 2008 at the Wal-Mart U.S. Year Beginning Meeting that sets the tone for this recent action. In his speech, Scott says that Wal-Mart will require its global procurement, domestic importers and manufacturer’s of Sam’s Club or Wal-Mart private brands suppliers to demonstrate that their factories meet specific environmental standards, as well as social and quality standards.

Suppliers take note; “…we will only work with suppliers who maintain our standards throughout our relationship. So we will make certification and compliance part of our supplier agreements and ask suppliers to report to us regularly,” said Lee Scott.

Wal-Mart will be applying pressure on suppliers over the next few years to meet their environmental standards and will favor those that share their commitment to quality and dedication to sustainability.

This is certainly a company to keep your eye on. To read Lee Scott’s Year Beginning speech, click here.

The blog is on the road with Scot Case, Vice President of TerraChoice Environmental Marketing. Read what he has to say about an educational conference he recently spoke at…

Greetings!

When I spoke about green purchasing at a National Institute of Governmental Purchasing (NIGP) conference ten years ago, there were six people in the room and three of them were speakers.

At this year’s event, the entire conference was green. The NIGP Annual Forum and Products Exposition that took place from July 26 to 30, 2008, demonstrates a real shift toward sustainability. It had numerous green purchasing sessions and an entire “Green Alley” on the trade show floor devoted to green products and services. NIGP is also to be commended for its efforts in “greening” the conference. From reducing large binders full of paper to a CD and using compostable cups for water instead of bottles, this conference made a difference by lessening its impact on the environment.

Also of note at this event was the launch of the Green Knowledge Community.

“Created as a benefit for members, the Green Knowledge Community provides easy access to resources and tools to help public purchasers make informed decisions about green policies and products,” says Belinda Reutter, Member Services Director at NIGP. “This resource is primarily for educational purposes and brings together experts to share information about environmentally preferable products and social and economic responsibility in public procurement.”

To learn more about NIGP’s Green Knowledge Community, click here.

- Scot Case

Companies doing good environmental deeds are seeing the rewards and, in this case, the awards!

The EcoLogo program recently presented TransGlobe Property Management Services with an award for their environmental leadership displayed by purchasing EcoLogo-certified cleaning products from Avmor, one of Canada’s leading green companies. TransGlobe purchased these products for their own corporate offices as well as the buildings they operate and manage across Canada.

This is a company dedicated to property management with integrity.

TransGlobe committed to purchasing and using a range of ‘green’ cleaning products from Avmor which are all third-party certified by the EcoLogoCM program. EcoLogo-certified Avmor cleaning products help companies, like TransGlobe, reduce their environmental footprint and provide a safe and healthy environment for employees and building tenants.

Thanks, TransGlobe, for leading this environmental initiative. Watch as more companies see the rewards of greening their practices. Will your company be next?

A sample of EcoLogo certified products on display include:

BioSource’s Pet Stain Remover, EcoEthic’s Cream Cleanser, BioVert Dish Cleaner, Shampoo by Nature Clean, Oxibrite’s Toilet Cleaner, Attitude’s All Purpose cleaner, Zebra pens, Nana Essence shampoo and conditioner, Merchants of Green coffee, Cascades’s Bathroom Tissue and Paper Towel from Atlantic.

A modern model of an environmental home, the solar house combines construction materials with technological innovations to create a healthier living environment. Throughout the house, displays help visitors to discover ways to “green” their home.

The solar house was designed by students from McGill University, the Université de Montréal and the École de technologie supérieure for an international competition - the 2007 Solar Decathlon - in Washington, D.C.

Visit Environment Canada’s site for more information on this environmental project.

From cancer-causing chemicals in hair dyes to hormone disruptors in some types of plastic water bottles, we’ve all heard about the toxic chemicals found in some of our everyday healthcare products.

Recent issues of both Women’s Health and Men’s Health covered the health impacts of environmental issues.  In a special Green Guide section found in the August 2008 issue of Men’s Health, TerraChoice was asked to give readers advice on navigating around often misleading green language on packaging such as “all natural”, “CFC-free”, “organic” and “made from recycled materials.” The May 2008 issue of Women’s Health covered TerraChoice’s 2007 study on the Six Sins of Greenwashing in which most of the consumer products surveyed were found to be making false or misleading claims about their “earth-wise” benefits.

When in doubt, look for evidence that a product meets credible environmental standards across the entire lifecycle of the product, from manufacture to disposal, such as EcoLogo and Green Seal.

Part of being an effective environmental marketing agency is conducting ongoing, meaningful, primary research. Once a year TerraChoice surveys a wide sample of procurement professionals for an EcoMarkets report to determine the state of green purchasing and analyze year-over-year trends. The full EcoMarkets 2008 report is due out in June, but a few of the conclusions are available now. Here’s some of what TerraChoice found out in 2008:

• 31% of respondents indicated that at least 40% of spending is ‘green’ influenced
• 25% of organizations surveyed have formal green purchasing policies - up from 22% in 2007
• 72% of purchasers surveyed feel that ecolabels help purchasing decisions
• The single biggest factor that respondents said would facilitate more green purchasing is more training and education on how to buy eco-friendly products and services

This year’s EcoMarkets study surveyed 336 procurement professionals, with roughly half located in the US and half located in Canada. Stay tuned for the full report, which will appear on the Responsible Purchasing site. In the meantime, TerraChoice and the Responsible Purchasing Network hosted a webcast on May 28th with more of the study results discussed. A webcast video is available.

If you’re a procurement professional interested in participating in future studies, please contact the TerraChoice EcoLogo Procurement Think Tank at thinktank@ecologo.org.

The Greenwash Brigade hit the nail on the head recently with their commentary on a public radio interview with Seventh Generation’s Jeffrey Hollender. Namely: it’s extremely hard for consumers to uncover greenwashing on their own. If you’re knowledgeable on environmental issues, you can make reasonable guesses about when a marketing claim may be suspect. But trying to get specific environmental information about a product is exceedingly difficult.

First, there are so many things that go into whether a product should be considered environmentally friendly. How was it manufactured? How is it packaged? How was it transported? Is it recyclable?

Second, it’s difficult to find a credible source with information on a product’s environmental impact. Who is documenting this stuff? Are they trustworthy?

Interestingly, the topic fits well into a discussion TerraChoice’s Scot Case had with the Federal Trade Commission recently. The FTC is revamping its Environmental Marketing Claims Guidelines and is currently hearing testimony from experts as they deliberate. Scot was on a panel regarding the need for FTC guidance and made one critical recommendation. Since consumers are demanding proof of green claims, companies should be required to provide it – either with data and evidence on their websites or through third-party certification.

In others words, consumers shouldn’t be stuck with the burden of research. Companies should help make the information consumers need easily available.

Note: For your listening pleasure, there’s a recorded webcast from the FTC event mentioned above.

OfficeMax had some really cool news out last week. The green-savvy retailer has partnered with the award-winning, green start-up company TerraCycle. OfficeMax is launching the partnership with seven TerraCycle products including a line of EcoLogo-certified, TerraCycle Natural Cleaners. Besides being plant-based, non-toxic and biodegradable, these cleaners are packaged directly in used soda bottles! Talk about innovative recycling.

TerraCycle has a storied if still-short history in bringing eco-friendly products to market. The company, founded by 25-year-old Tom Szaky started out with worm poop plant food, making it big with distribution through WalMart and The Home Depot in 2005.

Meanwhile OfficeMax is one of several retailers on a quest to become one of the greenest big-box stores around. And as more and more retailers fight for top green honors, certifications from accredited ecolabelers like EcoLogo grow increasingly important for retail suppliers. TerraCycle certainly makes for tough supplier competition.

Last week the Office of the Federal Environmental Executive (OFEE) published its latest report on the efforts of federal agencies to adopt more environmentally-friendly practices. The report comes out every two years and covers a wide range of environmental impact areas. Among the findings: by the end of fiscal year 2006, “most of the largest [federal] purchasing agencies, as well as many of the other executive agencies, had developed or were developing comprehensive integrated green purchasing programs.” That’s great news because it means governmental organizations should drive growth in green manufacturing. Earlier this year I referenced the Department of Defense’s green procurement policy and the associated financial incentive for the DOD’s suppliers to offer green products. Clearly financial incentives to go green have expanded significantly across the government sector.

The OFEE also went beyond tracking the purchasing plans of federal agencies in its report and attempted to measure where implementations of new green purchasing policies have been successful. For example, federal agencies are now actively seeking computer products that reduce standby power. It is estimated that bringing power consumption down on standby mode could save taxpayers more than $400 million in annual energy costs over the next six years, and should save enough equivalent energy to power 630,000 homes for one year.

Other examples of success include an increase in the number of biobased products (cleaning products, solvents, etc.) being used and tested by federal agencies, and the fact that the IRS prints all annual income tax forms on recycled content paper.

All in all, there is more green purchasing going on. And more green purchasing means more money in the green supply chain.

On the day we celebrate the Earth, it only seems appropriate to recognize a few companies doing their part to keep our planet healthy. Below are the latest green activities from companies participating in the EcoLogo program. Diamant, Cascades and Hewlett Packard have all made long-term commitments to environmentalism. Here is what they’re doing on one particular day of the year. Happy Earth Day, everyone.

Diamant: Diamant Corporation makes recyclable plastic food wrap that contains no plasticizer and no chlorine. The company’s been busy making a lot of news of late, and today has an announcement out stating it has completed initial trials for new bio-degrading plastic bottles. That’s right, bio-degradable plastic bottles. If you’ve had a hard time giving up the plastic water bottle habit, take heart. There may be an eco-friendly solution in the near future.

Cascades: Cascades is known for its green paper products and packaging materials, and has published its own annual sustainable development report since 2004. Today the company announced that its Rockland line of colored paper will contain up to 100% recycled fiber. Pretty colors and eco-friendly - comes in green and many other shades.

Hewlett Packard: HP has a long, long history of environmentalism, not only creating products, but also acting as a resource and inspiration for many green initiatives. In honor of Earth Day, HP published this month a guide to energy efficiency in the workplace. Did you know duplex printing can reduce paper consumption by 25%? The full guide is available on the HP website.