Walking toward the six-deep checker line, I thought I’d text my wife to see if she needed anything else. “We’re almost out of ketchup,” was the answer. Easy, I thought, walking back to grab a bottle. What brand did we usually buy? There were nine choices from el cheapo 89-cent bottles to a special fancy “catsup” made with ingredients from Nebraska hothouses and fields. I ended up with a familiar mid-range brand that touted U.S. grown tomatoes.
Labels make for interesting reading at the store. I will also glance, on occasion, at boxes, bottles or miscellaneous plastic containers while sorting or feeding a baler at the Keep Alliance Beautiful Recycling Center. A fair number of our recyclers, whether intentional or not I don’t know, close the loop by turning in items made from at least a percentage of pre- or post-consumer recycled content. I would like to think more consumers in Alliance, and elsewhere, attempt to be informed shoppers. The driving factor may be solely price. However, if the environment makes the top of your list, companies are not so subtly vying for sales to secure their market share.
Today, it seems everything you buy at the store tells a story. A popular tea makes sure shoppers know leaves are “picked at the peak of freshness” on the more prominent top and front of the box. On the left end is a “Rainforest Alliance Certified” logo telling potential buyers that may not be familiar with the cute little green frog that the tea is “100% sustainably sourced” along with the alliance’s website. Like almost any paperboard packaged product the box also has the recycle logo and “how2recycle.info” in tiny type. If I was looking to try a new brand of the same tea I already drink, that type of marketing would be good enough for me.
On other occasions, such as buying a mocha, I read after my purchase. I would probably not easily switch loyalty from this favorite product, though, and instead see its environmental investment as a bonus. Recently, upon arriving in Omaha, we stopped at a new place for coffee and lunch based on location and reviews. The former post office cafe did not tout its environmental views, yet in addition to the historic ambiance the bins for recycling and composting were a highlight for me. The flatware was compostable and the water cups were made from corn-derived plastic!
When I was my son’s age, reading at the store meant parking it in the magazine section to peruse the latest issues. Just about when I finished “Archie,” mom would be back with a full cart. Since then, packages have added expanded nutrition and ingredient information. A few years ago it seemed everything had a QR code to scan that would bring up a website or at least some sort of useful tidbit. Shoppers with smartphones are now able to check brands’ claims in seconds. People without that palm-sized computer still have a reasonable amount of information to make an informed decision — and of course they could do their research later.
Environmental stewardship has been a mainstream advertising consideration for years now. The question now may be how “green” is this company compared to a competitor with similar claims? National and global corporations may gain new customers by expressing more concern for the Earth and following through but a major environmental disaster or scandal would hurt the bottomline. Even energy companies responsible for oil spills that drove thousands from their gasoline pumps initially, continue to focus on responsibility.
If the environment is among your priorities, support companies that have made it one of theirs. Beyond the pocketbook, just finding “green marketing” messages can be fun. Points for the most unusual examples. Here are two of my latest finds: Natural American Spirit (cigarettes) — “. . . made with Earth-friendly, whole leaf tobacco and water . . . in our zero-waste-to-landfill facility” and Children & Schools Greenguard extruded polystyrene insulation, indoor air quality certified.