STORES Magazine - June 2008 - (Page 34)

EXECUTIVE SUITE / GREEN RETAILING know enough to ask the questions. There is a plethora of options out there that they had no access to 10 years ago. But is their understanding deep enough? I don’t know. It may be just enough to ask.” BBMG, a branding and integrated marketing agency, performed a conscious consumer survey in August 2007. According to the results, nearly nine in 10 Americans say the words “conscious consumer” describe them well. It can be trendy to admit some concern for the environment, or to think that doing one’s part is an essential component of living in our increasingly global world. It might be easy to think that green apparel would appeal mostly to the better off, better educated segment of the population. But programs from mainstream stores like Wal-Mart fly in the face of that convention. As part of its efforts to become greener, the company has set goals for reducing packaging (therefore saving plastic, transportation costs and shelf space); has strongly educated customers on energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs; encourages its suppliers to reduce their carbon footprints; and offers clothing made of organic cotton and recycled plastic. Rather than view such moves as competition, Dumain sees it as a great opportunity for raising awareness overall. And considers it “a standard for showing how much power a retailer can have over a supplier” in terms of carrying — or not carrying — products based on sustainability. “I wish department stores would do the same,” says MacEachern. Yolles is not concerned that his company shares many loyal customers with Wal-Mart. Nau’s prices are higher than typical Wal-Mart fare, though they’re on a par with other premium green brands. “But the reality is that it’s a very, very big marketplace,” he says. Supply and demand for green goods In 2006, a global lifestyle monitor survey by Cotton Inc. and Cotton Council International showed that only 5 percent of consumers would put “a lot of effort” into looking for environmentally friendly clothing. Further, the vast majority of consumers were more concerned about price than anything else. Of course, as demand for green clothing increases (as many believe it will), the laws of supply and demand will serve to reduce the pricing premium. “The problem is still that it isn’t easy to figure out what’s worth spending money on if you don’t have a good base of knowledge,” MacEachern says. Nau launched its “thought kitchen” blog in 2006 in an effort to raise consumer awareness; by early 2007, its products 34 STORES / JUNE 2008 were available online. All along, the premise was to create outdoor clothing that truly blended beauty, performance and sustainability. Innovative fabrics were developed, as well as a “restricted substance” list. But the idea of consumers buying green from Nau isn’t just about the clothes. The company also reduced its footprint through a handful of LEED-certified “webfronts” – small, environmentally friendly stores that hold minimum inventory to save space. Customers can pick up items on site, or they can receive discounts by having the item shipped (at no charge) to their homes. The company also takes its role of educating the community seriously, in part through the transparent “grey matters” portion of its website. Topics there include the benefits and pitfalls of clothes made from corn, fair labor practices and comments on global manufacturing. Each section also includes a segment on “where we stand.” “This doesn’t mean that the decisions we’ve had to make are simple ones, or that we haven’t had to make various compromises and tradeoffs,” Yolles says. “Obviously, this was entitled ‘grey matters’ with intention, because some things aren’t always black and white. But we want to be completely transparent with the decisions we’ve made, and to explain those decisions and why we made them, and what the issues are with various products.” And that, at the base level, is what many believe green products are all about: responsibility. “It’s really hard to do one without the other, to offer these products and not be an environmentally responsible company,” Dumain says. “You catch yourself. … The practices start to invade the culture, and you get to a point where you can’t help yourself any more. You start to understand that ignorance really is bliss, because once you start, it doesn’t end.” StORES Nau reduced its footprint through a handful of LEED-certified “webfronts” – small, environmentally friendly stores that hold minimum inventory to save space. Fiona Soltes, who splits her time between “retail therapy” and freelance writing, lives near Nashville, Tenn. WWW.STORES.ORG http://WWW.STORES.ORG

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of STORES Magazine - June 2008

STORES Magazine - June 2008 Contents Executive Editor's Page President's Page Tesco Tests Carbon Labels What Shoppers Think 10 Things You May Have Missed Numbers Worth Counting Full Price/Markdown Retail People Cover Story: Boom - or Bust Green Retailing Concept2Watch Online Marketing Building Traffic Water Management Branding Digital Marketing Loyalty Programs Special Report: Taking on Teens Supply Chain - Robo Crop Human Resources Supply Chain - Directory Assistance Loeb Retail Letter Arts Update Point of View NRF News Retail Crossword Retail Industry Calendar Last Laugh

STORES Magazine - June 2008

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