Inventory Management Today : Buying “green” Selling “green” and Living “green”

Buying “green” Selling “green” and Living “green”

Posted by rsouder on April 17th, 2009

In today’s economy it can pay to be “green.” As Earth Day approaches I have mined the ACCTivate! customer database and have noticed three trends: buying “green”, selling “green” and living “green.”

For the most part, these are not companies staffed by people with activist approaches. They are companies that have recognized the commercial and competitive benefit of energy conservation and recycling.

A number of these companies have made a strategic decision to distribute green products and technology. In some cases they have developed and manufactured these products, and in other cases they have responded to customer requests and have begun to stock ecologically friendly products in lieu of, or in addition to, more traditional ones.

Examples of these companies include a paper distributor with a mission statement that includes…

“…We also know that schools, churches, childcare providers, and non-profit organizations want to help support the community with actions and not just slogans. That’s why we became the first supply company to go carbon-neutral. We’ve gone beyond that by planting trees for every order over $100. Our initiatives will offset more greenhouse gases than we produce.” - Thrifty Hound Paper Company

Another example is a shopping bag distributor who has customers that are requiring environmentally friendly bags…

“…decided that they would like to be active participants in caring for the environment and that meant using environmentally friendly bags. They chose a…message to the consumer of Health First Pharmacy’s dedication to the environment. Health First Pharmacy encourages their customers to reuse and recycle…” - Bags, Inc.

Two of our customers have focused on energy efficient products that are ecologically friendly.

The company vision for one is:

“Our 10th Anniversary celebration is as much about the future as the past. In the past decade, we have been honored as an industry leader for manufacturing residential and commercial spray foam insulation that is effective, cost-efficient and environmentally friendly. We pioneered Green insulation products made of renewable resources such as soy and recycled plastics.” - Demilec USA

and another’s vision and mission states:

“Vision: To reduce the world’s dependence on fossil fuels while reducing the carbon footprint.”

“Mission: To develop and to manufacture chemically modified naturally occurring products; market cost-effective, environmentally responsible, sustainable technical solutions that meet or exceed traditional performance standards.”
- BioBased Technologies

Other companies are living green by choice of office and warehousing facilities. Industry Week recently carried an article on this trend.

“Environmental concerns, along with the traditional concerns of cost and service, are leading manufacturers to rethink their distribution networks.”

Martin’s Logistics Blog on March 3, 2009 discussed the topic “Green Warehouse Strikes Gold,” summing up the opportunity that…

“New warehouses are being built with the environment in mind.”

Inventory Management Today is an inventory management and business blog
published by Alterity, Inc., the makers of ACCTivate!

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Free Polazzo said on April 22nd, 2009 @4:40 pm

Great article about ACCTivate’s customers who are doing well by doing good.

admin said on April 22nd, 2009 @7:01 pm

Thank you! There are some really great companies using ACCTivate!

Setai miami said on April 27th, 2009 @12:42 am

Being “green” is a great way to appeal to everyone. “green” companies or people who care about environment are usualy respected more just because they don’t want to let the world go to waste. And funny thing is it’s not really that hard to “live green” these days.

admin said on April 29th, 2009 @6:03 pm

We completely agree. If everyone - businesses and individuals - would just make a few small changes significant results in protecting the planet could be accomplished. Thanks for your comments!

gry-dla-dzieci said on May 8th, 2009 @4:56 am

These are all good initiatives. I really applaud these pioneers, as with the current economy it’s not easy even to stay afloat, not to mention doing that while going green. We need more companies like these, the more people do it the cheaper and less time consuming going green should be. Because for the time being, I think many people just can’t be bothered with ideas like this, since they usually require more work and don’t generate any serious profits.
Still, someone has to take the first step on this long journey

Screen Printing said on June 13th, 2009 @5:43 am

We need more companies like these, the more people do it the cheaper and less time consuming going green should be. Because for the time being, I think many people just can’t be bothered with ideas like this, since they usually require more work and don’t generate any serious profits.

admin said on June 14th, 2009 @8:07 am

Thank you both for your insightful comments. It is true that some green initiatives require a commitment that many won’t make but we too applaud those who are striving to do their part… and then some!