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Slide 1: EarthEnterprise™ TOOL KIT MARKETS TECHNOLOGY FINANCING NEW BUSINESS PRACTICES
Slide 2: Copyright © 1994 International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) Sections of this paper may be reproduced with acknowledgement to the International Institute for Sustainable Development. Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data Main entry under title: Earthenterprise tool kit. 2nd ed. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN I-895536-34-0 1. Green marketing – Canada. 2. Small business – Environmental aspects – Canada. 3. Social responsibility of business. 4. Small business – Environmental aspects – Canada. I. International Institute for Sustainable Development. HD 62.7.E27 1994 658.4’08 C94-920278-9 This book is printed on paper with recycled content. Printed and bound in Canada. Published and distributed by: International Institute for Sustainable Development 161 Portage Avenue East - 6th Floor Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3B 0Y4 Phone: (204) 958-7700 Fax: (204) 958-7710 Email: reception@iisdpost.iisd.ca October 1994
Slide 3: EarthEnterprise™ TOOL KIT MARKETS TECHNOLOGY FINANCING NEW BUSINESS PRACTICES
Slide 5: Table of Contents Foreword Preface Acknowledgements Introduction Avalanche Markets Green Consumers: Selling to the Masses Understand Green Consumers, In Depth A Road Map to Green Consumer Purchasing Behaviour Interpret the Demographics Know the Market Size for Green Consumers How to Target Deep-Green Markets Know the Factors That Drive Green Market Growth Build Credibility if You Want to Grow Utilize Industry Standards Be Ready to Compete When the Mainstream Arrives Target Retailers That Want to Sell Green Products Concepts for a Competitive Strategy Action Plan for a Competitive Strategy Green Procurement: Purchasing for a Sustainable Future Respond to Customer’s Stated Intentions Work Together as Partners Forge New Alliances/Watch for Leaders of the Pack Watch for Kick-Started Markets Understand Federal Government Purchasing Programs Tips to Green Your Own Suppliers A Buyer’s or Seller’s Checklist for Green Procurement Green Industries: Markets for Environmental Technologies Monitor and Participate in Voluntary Programs Watch the Leaders in Pollution Prevention Work Together to Maximize Effectiveness Business Opportunities in Sustainable Technology The Demand Side: What Creates Markets for New Technology? Understand Environmental Laws, Regulations, and Standards as Technology Drivers Assess International Agreements as Sustainable Technology Drivers Exploit New Demand Pulls for Sustainable Technology v vii ix 1 9 12 12 13 14 16 17 17 17 18 21 22 22 23 26 27 28 29 30 32 32 33 35 37 39 39 41 44 44 45 48 i
Slide 6: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit The Supply Side: Finding and Assessing New Technologies Technology Trees: Cherry Picking for Success Understand the Four Generations of Environmental Technology Understand Sustainable Technology Add Sustainable Attributes to Existing Technologies Convert Defense Technologies Watch for the Impact of Technology Leaps or Breakthroughs Opportunity Assessment: A Checklist Case Study: Halozone Technologies Inc. Raising Money for Sustainable Enterprises Get the Fundamentals Right to Approach Capital Markets Jump Over Perception Barriers Business Planning for Sustainable Enterprises Tips on Preparing the Investment Offering Identify Potential Investors and Types of Financing Engage a Financial Advisor Adopting New Business Practices and Relationships Internal Consistency Prepare a Mission Statement Measure and Report on Your Progress and Performance In-House Waste Reduction and Pollution Prevention Teams Materials that Inform Employees about Economic, Environmental, and Social Trends Open and Direct Lines of Communication External Credibility Annual Sustainable Development Report A Commitment to Honest and Accessible Public Relations A Commitment to Community Development Efforts Leveraging Your Resources Work With Innovative Business Associations Tap the Expertise of Non-Profit Organizations Contract with the Best Use Incubators to Help You Grow Have Fun, Stay Healthy, and Enjoy Your Work in an Increasingly Stressful World Profiles CAERAN O Wear DEJA SHOE ii INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 49 49 57 59 61 61 61 62 64 71 75 76 77 79 80 82 83 85 86 91 92 93 93 95 95 96 97 98 98 101 103 104 105 106 106 107 108 FOR
Slide 7: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Conclusion Directories Product Certification and Labelling Organizations Marketing Resources and Sales Leads Sales Leads for Green Procurement Environmental Industry Associations Technology Assistance Organizations - Canada Technology Assistance Organizations - United States Publications Listing Research and Development Assistance Organizations Sources of Capital for Sustainable Enterprises - Canada Sources of Capital for Sustainable Enterprises - United States Additional Sources of Financing and Investment - Canada Additional Sources of Financing and Investment - United States Publications on New Business Practices 111 115 117 118 123 133 136 144 149 150 159 167 169 171 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT iii
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Slide 9: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Foreword Today, a large portion of new job formation and growth takes place in small companies. Having been formerly involved in business, I know that small companies can often respond quickly to new demands and markets, and are sources of much that is innovative. It is no surprise to me, then, that there is a strong interest in sustainable development on the part of many small and medium sized companies. Because many people are uneasy about some of the un-sustainable activities in the world, there is widespread demand for more sustainable forms of development. These demands show up in consumer activity — people are changing their buying habits, and companies that can understand and take advantage of these changes will prosper. People are also pressing their governments to change, and we are responding by finding strategic ways to work with business to both meet our obligations and maximize our opportunities, but within the context of sustainable development. The EarthEnterprise™ initiative, and this Tool Kit, are examples of new tools and partnership arrangements for business.Through Manitoba’s support of the International Institute for Sustainable Development, we are proud to work with entrepreneurs and innovators in breaking the path to the future — profitably and sustainably. Honourable Gary Filmon Premier of Manitoba INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT v
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Slide 11: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Preface EarthEnterprise™ is a new initiative of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), linking the economic world where business holds sway with the new opportunities arising from environment and development concerns. Our project focuses on new and rapidly growing markets for products, services and technologies for sustainable development. Innovators and entrepreneurs seeking entry into these markets will discover half a trillion dollars worth of business globally by the turn of the century. Many, perhaps most, of the new ideas for green markets will come from small and medium size firms.Their needs to access investment funds, market information, and technology assistance prompted EarthEnterprise™ and our Tool Kit. IISD’s role is to be a catalyst for improving environment and economy relationships. By discovering and addressing requirements of the new breed of business innovators and investors, EarthEnterprise™ will accelerate the availability and acceptance of products and technologies supportive of sustainable development. EarthEnterprise™ is our trademark to symbolize the major commitment of human ingenuity and business acumen urgently required for successful investment in sustainable development. This Tool Kit provides fundamental knowledge for smaller businesses competing in the environmental market place. It draws upon insights of successful business people, new research about the market place, technology development, financing mechanisms, and changing business practices. The enthusiasm of both the EarthEnterprise™ team and those with whom they network bodes well for the future.They and others like them are the vanguard, pursuing opportunities inherent in sustainable development. IISD will continue to update and expand the Tool Kit. We look forward to receiving comments from readers on how it may be improved to meet their practical needs. Arthur J. Hanson President and CEO International Institute for Sustainable Development INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT vii
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Slide 13: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Acknowledgements The EarthEnterprise™ project was undertaken by IISD staff and a group of consultants and collaborators. Overall direction came from Arthur J. Hanson, President and CEO of IISD. Lloyd McGinnis, the founding Chairman of IISD’s Board of Directors, helped start the project and provided an initial framework. • • Stephan Barg, who is responsible for IISD’s Business and Government Program, directed the project and participated in its conceptualization and development. Rob Kerr was responsible for managing all aspects of the project, from developing the concept to delivering the products and finding the customers. Without his persistent efforts, EarthEnterprise™ would not exist in its present form. Cynthia Pollock Shea joined IISD during the project and contributed her vast knowledge of the field, particularly of green procurement and new business practices. Her research and writing skills proved invaluable. Susan Miskiman managed the support services necessary for such a complex project, with the assistance and hard work of Thérèse Laberge. Other IISD staff members — Don Berg, Bonnie Bisnett, Frank Cosway, Monique Ferguson, Carole Quenelle, and Julie Wagemakers — provided substantial assistance at various stages of the work. Beatrice Olivastri, of the firm Olivastri and Associates (Moose Creek, Ontario), worked almost full time with IISD and assisted in managing the project from conception to delivery. Her good nature and creativity brought the project to life. Gary Lewis, of The Hartman Group (Newport Beach, California), contributed extensive knowledge of green consumer markets and strong experience with consumer-oriented entrepreneurial firms. He had primary responsibility for the consumer markets section. Brian Kelly had primary responsibility for the technology section, and developed the idea of the “technology tree” while working at Marbek Resource Consultants in Ottawa. Kelly is now Director of Environment and Sustainable Development at Ontario Hydro, where he is responsible for overseeing the implementation of sustainable energy development and use programs. Chris Henderson, of the Delphi Group (Ottawa, Vancouver and London, England), contributed business and fund management experience, as well as a wide range of contacts in the financial services industry. He had primary responsibility for the investment section. INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ix • • • • • • • FOR
Slide 14: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit • • • Doug Miller, of Synergistics Consulting Limited (Toronto, Ontario),assisted with market surveys, meeting design, and the faxback system used in the EarthEnterprise™ Exchange. David Conklin, of the National Centre for Management Research and Development (London, Ontario),helped with the consultation process and developed material on new business practices. Jean-Dennis Barry, of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce (Ottawa, Ontario), and Alex Keen of Altech Environmental Consulting Ltd. (Toronto, Ontario), developed, managed, and reported on the Canadian focus-group research. Throughout the process of researching, meeting, refining concepts, consulting with many others, and working very hard, these people became a strong team, dedicated to the goals of the project and to cooperatively fostering the success of sustainable enterprises. Each contributed to the overall project design, as well as to individual areas. All deserve thanks for their commitment and the quality of their work. x INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 15: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Introduction INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 1
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Slide 17: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit his EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit is designed to help companies build new kinds of businesses — businesses that are successful because they meet today’s growing demand for products and services that enhance sustainability. Developing, financing, and marketing those products and services is a real challenge in the current tough business climate. The ideas and approaches in this Tool Kit will help companies meet that challenge. In the following pages you will find ways to capitalize on such special aspects of sustainable businesses as: T • • • • • Consumer markets — how to track and tap them; Green procurement — selling to governments and big business; Technology — identifying the drivers and emerging demands, and assessing and developing the best opportunities; Financing — the basics, the special sources, and the business plan; New business practices — sustainable business is special, both inside and out. The Tool Kit looks at each of these areas, explains the most important issues facing green or sustainable businesses, and provides tools for dealing with them. It also includes lists of specialized information sources for follow-up. The tools presented are the kinds of knowledge — beginning with the need to find good ideas for sustainable products — that entrepreneurs require in order to solve problems in an increasingly important business sector. There are some tools for assessing consumer markets for such products, and other tools to help analyze the profit and sustainability potential of technologies. The material in this Tool Kit is based on original research by the project team at the International Institute for Sustainable Development and a team of expert consultants. In a wide-ranging international consultative process, the opinions of dozens of entrepreneurs from the United States and Canada helped guide research and the selection of tools. Version 1.0 of the Tool Kit was issued at the first meeting of the EarthEnterprise™ Network in Winnipeg, in October 1993. This version, Version 2.0, incorporates the insightful comments contributed during that meeting, the results of additional research, and an updated list of contacts. The Tool Kit’s Audience While the principal audience for the Tool Kit is the North American entrepreneur in a small or medium sized green or sustainable enterprise, the publication will also be useful to companies of all sizes that are interested in greening their operations. In addition, the Tool Kit is designed to be used by investors seeking a better understanding of the opportunities offered by INTRODUCTION 3
Slide 18: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit sustainable technologies and enterprises. Other users of the Kit include environmental technology innovators, inventors, policy makers, business advisors, educators and students. Sustainable Business EarthEnterprise™ deals with the relatively new concept of sustainability. At some point in the future this term will be common-place, but today “sustainability”and the terminology related to it must be defined. The concept of “sustainable development” was advanced considerably in Our Common Future, the final report of the World Commission on Environment and Development (“the Brundtland Commission”) in 1987. It is most often described as “development or progress that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. IISD defines sustainable development for business as “adopting business strategies and activities that meet the needs of the enterprise and its stakeholders today while protecting, sustaining, and enhancing the human and natural resources that will be needed in the future”. A sustainable business is one that operates according to this definition, in both its operations and products. The sustainable business has interdependent economic, environmental, and social objectives, and understands that longterm viability depends on integrating all three objectives in decision-making. Rather than regarding social and environmental objectives as costs, a sustainable enterprise seeks opportunities for profit in achieving these goals. There are relatively few sustainable businesses today, but the number of companies that are trying to achieve this goal is growing quickly. One of the best known is Body Shop International, whose founder, Anita Roddick, has taken a new approach to the beauty and personal care business.The members of the EarthEnterprise™ network are providing the next round of success stories. The “green” business, which is more common, focuses on operations and products that minimize damage to the environment. It produces such items as mercury-free batteries, energy efficient technologies, natural cleansers, and products made from recycled materials. A smart green company will tap the sensitivities of the consumer and industrial markets by emphasizing the environmental attributes of its operations and products.A green company may make the transition to sustainability as it develops the values of preserving and restoring long-term ecological integrity and promoting societal health and well-being. 4 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT FOR
Slide 19: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit In the Tool Kit, people who run either sustainable or green businesses are referred to as “eco-entrepreneurs”. The Project The EarthEnterprise™ project was started because the International Institute for Sustainable Development is convinced that business can prosper by taking advantage of the trend to more sustainable products and services and by operating more sustainably. Providing useful information to sustainable and green businesses is one way IISD can achieve its own goal of fostering sustainable development. The research for this project focused on business activities in which the goal of sustainability makes a difference. It did not focus on the myriad issues faced by any entrepreneurial company, green or otherwise. (Therefore, the Tool Kit does not duplicate sources of general advice relevant to all business enterprises, and readers seeking such advice should investigate other sources.) We consulted widely so that our research would focus on the areas regarded as most important by eco-entrepreneurs. • Interviews were conducted with leaders of carefully selected companies across North America. We found that in making their business decisions, especially about future actions, most entrepreneurs rely chiefly on qualitative information gained directly from customers, industry contacts, and an array of business and trade periodicals. They do not seem to value the detailed market research statistics that most large consumer market companies use extensively. Eco-entrepreneurs identified direct knowledge of what customers want as the highest priority. (What do consumers like and dislike about the company’s products and services? Why is “green” important to the customer’s purchasing decision, and how are tastes and needs changing?) The EarthEnterprise™ Exchange was established as an interactive newsletter for project participants. Each issue focused on our findings and sought feedback from readers. We used a faxback form with a carefully designed questionnaire, and got a high response rate, with useful advice and suggestions. Many readers expressed interest in finance and technology issues, and the opportunity to meet successful ecoentrepreneurs who might be mentors or role models. A working group on investment was established, consisting of experts and practitioners with substantial experience. Two messages arose repeatedly. When seeking a loan or an investment,green businesses are like any others; only strong business plans will be funded. However, for companies that • • INTRODUCTION 5
Slide 20: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit have all the bases covered, a growing number of investment sources are particularly interested in green or sustainable businesses. • Focus groups were held across Canada in conjunction with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. Local chambers selected entrepreneurs and professional advisors who debated and tested our ideas. They agreed that public policy and regulations could frequently create or change a market overnight, but that changes are hard to predict and sometimes occur only as the result of organized lobbying. The development of a market for a product or service was judged to be just as important as the development of the product or service itself, and deserving of equal attention. Product development costs can be prohibitive, even when a market clearly exists. They can be deadly if the market doesn’t respond. We also heard repeatedly that the way a business operates internally is as important as its product line or marketing strategy. Any entrepreneur brave enough to start a business must firmly believe that his or her product, or service, is better than any currently on the market. What distinguishes many entrepreneurs profiting from the transition to a sustainable future is their commitment to a broader definition of success, one that extends beyond the bottom line. The necessity to make a profit is a given.But, typically, the successful innovators who have joined the EarthEnterprise™ Network have a far longer list of goals. They want to protect, preserve, and restore the healthy functioning of complex ecosystems. They want to empower and instill trust in their customers, suppliers, and employees. They want to foster cultural diversity and promote local economies. In a myriad of ways, they want to make the world a better place. Reconciling conflicting demands and pressures, while holding fast to the goal of “doing right”by a broad range of stakeholders, is daunting. Practicing a high standard of ethics while striving to meet the next payroll is a constant challenge. But a growing number of companies are succeeding financially without wavering from their commitment to a clearly articulated set of principles. The proliferation of publications with names like Business Ethics, Good Money, and The Green Business Letter is testimony to that success. Organizations formed to serve this growing client base include Business for Social Responsibility, the Social Venture Network, and the Green Retailers Association. Today’s business leaders are looking to sustainably harvested resources and discarded materials for their inputs.They are assisting their employees to cope with the competing demands of work and family. They are educating their 6 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 21: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit customers, suppliers, and employees to make wise environmental choices.And they are pooling their efforts to stretch limited finances and technical skills. They are also clearly stating their objectives and publicly explaining how they arrived at key decisions. The EarthEnterprise™ project has developed a variety of products, all designed for business people who want to improve their companies and make money by satisfying the demand for sustainable goods, services, and technologies. • • • • • This Tool Kit contains strategic advice and specific, action-oriented suggestions to deal with real business problems. Extensive resource lists provide additional information sources. The EarthEnterprise™ Exchange, distributed to our network of North American entrepreneurs and innovators, facilitates the free exchange of ideas and support, and will help extend EarthEnterprise™’s reach. Our first large meeting, October 12-14, 1993, in Winnipeg, helped launch the Network, refine the Tool Kit, and plan for the future. Further meetings of the Network will attract new participants, disseminate practical knowledge and experience, and foster new business alliances. EarthEnterprise™ events outside North America may be planned with local partners elsewhere in the world. Business is evolving rapidly to meet the changing demands of markets and of a variety of stakeholders. Companies able to move quickly will enjoy a real competitive advantage. The tools and outputs of the EarthEnterprise™ project are designed to be flexible, but, if we are to succeed, we need your feedback. Please call, fax,or e-mail to tell us what information you find most helpful,what additional material you would like to see incorporated and how you would like to become involved in the Network. INTRODUCTION 7
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Slide 23: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Avalanche Markets AVALANCHE MARKETS 9
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Slide 25: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit ver the last decade, subtle but momentous changes have occurred in the values and purchasing behaviour of consumers, corporations, and governments. This subtlety, which is cascading into momentous change, inspires the term “avalanche markets”. Like an avalanche, the adoption of environmental and social criteria in purchasing decisions will dramatically change the landscape. O In the past 20 years, the environment has become a priority concern for people, at home and at work. The concept of sustainable development makes it clear that environmental implications must be dealt with whenever economic decisions are made. Learning how to do this — not just to adopt “green washing” — takes time. After a few false starts, however, the avalanche is gathering speed in consumer buying, corporate and government procurement policies, and, indeed, in the emergence of the “green industry”sector. These three markets — green consumers, green procurement, and green industries — are the focus of this section of the EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit. To help entrepreneurs increase their ability to gain access to and serve avalanche markets, it highlights strategic business issues and offers tools for coping with them. Because “green”terminology is pervasive, we use it as the starting point. Benefiting fully from the power and potential of these markets, however, means moving beyond green add-ons and making a comprehensive commitment to sustainable development. To be successful in the green consumer market, today’s entrepreneur needs to know what makes it tick: why it continued to grow in the midst of an economic recession. The main barrier to growth in this market is credibility: consumers are cynical about product claims and opportunistic pricing. As the dimensions of the avalanche market become obvious, green, pace-setting entrepreneurs will face competition from mainstream companies and competitive strategies will be key to survival. As corporations, governments, and other institutions seek to reduce their impact on the planet, huge new markets are opening up. There are a number of ways for an entrepreneur to react: by identifying and responding to green procurement policies with existing products and services; by forming new alliances among suppliers and customers to jointly address new needs; and, for the proactive, by consulting with key policy decision makers and initiating business relationships that help create new markets. (See pages 26-35 for a description of some exciting opportunities in green procurement, as well as information about the tools and contacts for gaining access to them.) As the commitment to sustainable development takes hold, many nations are developing and enforcing stricter environmental regulations. In turn, global markets have grown significantly as both industry and governments seek new AVALANCHE MARKETS 11
Slide 26: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit skills and products. These markets will mature from end-of-pipe, cleanup solutions, through abatement and prevention strategies, to sustainable technologies. On pages 35-40, we provide an up-to-date assessment of environmental industry markets as a tool for understanding where green industry clientele may be found. (The Business Opportunities in Sustainable Technology chapter shows where the power of this avalanche market will be strongest.) Green Consumers: Selling to the Masses To benefit effectively from growth in the green market, entrepreneurs will need to educate and convince investors, financial institutions, and mainstream distribution channels of the importance of green consumerism. If these sectors view the green market as an overblown, passing fad, they will be reluctant to do business. In order to plan convincingly for long-term prospects in the market, entrepreneurs must get to know green consumers. To do this, entrepreneurs must look at the factors that influence the green consumers’ purchasing decisions. TOOL Understand Green Consumers, in Depth Green Consumers: • • • are very sincere in their intentions.Their commitment to greener lifestyles is growing slowly but very few are“backsliding”; almost always judge their environmental practices as inadequate; tend to overstate their green behaviour, including the number of green products they actually use. This reflects the fact that green is very much a “motherhood and apple pie” value. Not surprisingly, the gap between expectation and reality tends to make people feel guilty and sometimes defensive; want environmental protection to be easy, without having to make sacrifices. Purchasing more environmentally responsible products gives them a vital psychic lift, by helping them align beliefs and actions; do not expect companies to be perfect in order to be considered green. Rather, they look for companies that are taking substantive steps and have made a commitment to keep on improving — probably because consumers themselves do not feel environmentally perfect; are wary and tend to mistrust companies’environmental statements, unless they have been evaluated by some person or group considered trustworthy; are quite confused and lack knowledge about environmental issues. They do not usually trust themselves to evaluate scientific information about the INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR • • • • 12 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 27: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit environment. At the same time, however, they are eager to learn more, and willing to be educated. In other words, consumer education is one of the most effective strategies entrepreneurs can use, becoming a consumer service in itself. TOOL A Road Map to Green Consumer Purchasing Behaviour The most important rule in designing products is to minimize the sacrifices consumers must make in order to buy and use them. Improvements must be substantive, backed by solid logic and, where applicable, documented data. Different environmental attributes are preferred in different product categories; however, consumers generally feel that the more attributes the better. A good strategy is to offer one or more environmental improvements in each of several categories, such as water pollution, solid waste, and manufacturing processes. When consumers are faced with a trade-off among product attributes, the environment almost always loses with all but a fraction of the most committed green consumers. Unfortunately, green purchasers will not always admit this; and many companies have failed with products that require consumers to make trade-offs. To succeed, eco-entrepreneurs must provide the traditional values of price, quality, convenience and availability. • Price: No matter what consumers say to the contrary, few will consciously pay extra for greener products. Research has shown, however, that very small price premiums (on the order of two percent) are below the threshold of “consciousness”. Higher premiums can only be charged if the consumer perceives additional product value (such as being “in vogue”). Otherwise, only extremely green, or wealthy consumers, can be expected to pay significant price premiums. Quality: Many people assume green products will be less effective than current non-green brands. Consumers are even less likely to sacrifice quality than they will price. Assurances of quality are absolutely essential, and must be communicated convincingly to consumers. Quality is judged on many features, including performance, look, feel, fit, comfort, and durability. Convenience: Only minimal inconvenience is tolerated by consumers of green products. Infrequent activities, such as refilling bottles of soap or detergent, are sometimes tolerated. Availability: Very few consumers will go out of their way to buy green products. In a 1990 Roper Poll,58 percent of respondents cited poor product availability as a reason for not purchasing more green products. AVALANCHE MARKETS 13 • • •
Slide 28: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit TOOL Interpret the Demographics Based on the following chart, here are the key demographic implications for business. Demographics of the Green Market in North America United States Income Index Median Age Executive/Professionals (%) College Graduates (%) Female (%) Canada Income Index Median Age Executive/Professionals (%) College Graduates (%) Female (%) Mexico Income Index Median Age Executive/Professionals (%) College Graduates (%) Female (%) Greens 1.21 41 24 27 58 Greens 1.19 38 22 28 57 Greens N/A 30 14 15 56 Near Greens 1.07 43 17 20 52 Near Greens 1.18 41 20 12 49 Near Greens N/A 29 16 10 53 Browns 0.75 40 11 11 50 Browns 0.7 44 8 12 43 Browns N/A 30 10 11 42 Source: 1992 Roper Poll in the U.S.,Canada,and Mexico. • • The best green customers are people with more money to spend.Therefore, the most promising products for greening are at the higher end of the market. The best outlets for selling green products are retail stores frequented by the upper middle class and the wealthy. In general, green consumers have the education and intellectual orientation to appreciate value; they will understand logical green appeals and evidence that supports environmental claims. INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR 14 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 29: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit • • The most responsive age group is young adults, many of whom are influenced by their children. Women are a key target for greener products and often make purchases for men. Background to statistical categories 1. Income Index: ratio of median group income to median national income. Green consumers in the U.S. and Canada earn above average incomes. 2. Median Age: The data for Canada suggests that younger adults are more likely to be green than older people. The data for the U.S. and Mexico are not very conclusive (although more detailed results from the Roper Poll and other surveys show that green sensibilities are strongest among U.S. adults aged 30-45). Note: Research also shows that children and teenagers are the most sensitive to green issues. 3. Executive/Professionals: percentage of consumers in high skill, white collar professions. Professionals and executives tend to be greener consumers. 4. College Graduates: The data generally show that the more educated the person, the more likely he or she is to be a green consumer. 5. Female: The data show that women tend to be more green than men. Understanding the demographic basics about green consumers can help nongreen entrepreneurs explore the environmental market and home in on likely prospects. Those already in the business can better tailor outreach and communications to consumers. In the U. S., the age factor means a flourishing market as greener kids replace the less green elderly. Children and teens are generally much more concerned than adults about the environment and are more knowledgeable about green alternatives. Increasingly, they influence their parents’ purchasing decisions towards green and, more important, millions of them will reach adulthood and gain purchasing power in the next few years. At the opposite end of the age spectrum, Americans born before the end of World War II are the least green in consumer orientation. As they age, their share of consumer purchases will dwindle, and be replaced by consumers with a greener ethic. In Canada, children share very strong green concerns that influence their parents. Older people also tend to be relatively active green purchasers. The Environmental Monitor reports that green purchasing, “...does not vary significantly among demographic and regional groups”.The Roper Poll, on the AVALANCHE MARKETS 15
Slide 30: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit other hand, indicates that green Canadian consumers are slightly younger than their non-green counterparts. There are not yet sufficient data from Mexico to draw conclusions on age trends and green consumer growth. TOOL Know the Market Size for Green Consumers The Roper Organization’s estimates for three types of green consumers in the United States, Canada, and Mexico: North America Trueblue Greens Greenback Greens Total Sprouts/Near Greens Total 21 5 26 26 52 U.S. 20 5 25 31 56 Canada 38 3 41 27 68 Mexico 19 4 23 11 34 (percent) (Note: The Mexican figures could well be exaggerated due to a spike in public environmental concern. The polling took place immediately after some of the country’s worst and most publicized environmental disasters.) Definitions • Trueblue Greens: Consumers who engage in a number of environmentally motivated activities, ranging from recycling to various green shopping choices. The Trueblues do not typically accept environmental price premiums. Greenback Greens: Those who claim willingness to pay price premiums for greener products, but who are generally too busy to pursue other ecological practices. (In the U.S., greenback is a slang term for dollar.) Sprouts: People who are very concerned about the environment and say they want to do more to protect it, but who haven’t yet adopted many environmental practices. (Some pollsters call them “Near Greens”.) • • Note: Consumers almost always overstate their green buying intentions. In order to gauge production and marketing efforts realistically, be wary of people’s tendency to overstate environmental behaviour. 16 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT FOR
Slide 31: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit TOOL How To Target Deep-Green Markets Deep-green markets are too small to attract major competition, which may be an important factor in planning long-term strategy. Recent estimates put the size of this market at about two percent of U.S. and Canadian consumers.These individuals gravitate towards political advocacy and will often pay higher prices or sacrifice product performance for environmental improvements. If you decide to target this market, • • • Your products must be significantly better environmentally than the competition’s or you will be viewed as a hypocrite, as well as lose the sale. Provide clear, engaging, and comprehensive information on what sets your product apart environmentally. Deep-green consumers appreciate information on how they can make a difference ecologically. Monitor the competition to see if they are developing products almost as green as yours, but without the price/quality tradeoffs. Keep ahead of the green development curve by minimizing the sacrifices required to purchase or use your product. TOOL Know the Factors That Drive Green Market Growth General economic expansion tends to correlate directly with increased environmental concern, action, and consumer spending. According to research by economics Professor Don Coursey of Washington University, these behaviours tend to grow at three times the rate of increase in Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Traditional and green companies are also beginning to give consumers what they want: substantive environmental improvements that do not require price premiums or quality compromises. As a result, consumers will see more, new, green products and services. These will legitimize the market and expand choice, leading to more vigorous green consumerism. Eco-entrepreneurs faced with green competition from established companies will either be pressured into well protected niches, or into the mainstream marketing arena, where sophisticated marketing strategies based on sound consumer research tend to carry the day. TOOL Build Credibility if You Want To Grow Marketers alert to consumer concern and interest in the environment found a new advertising ploy in the late 1980’s: the green claim. In 1993, approximately 13 percent of new products introduced in the United States made some type of environmental claim. But just like “cholesterol free”peanut butter, some claims AVALANCHE MARKETS 17
Slide 32: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit were misleading and served to confuse rather than assist consumers. Canadian consumers say their distrust of green product claims, rather than the recession, inhibited their purchase of products touted as environmentally superior. In July 1992, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission released voluntary manufacturer guidelines, covering such claims as ‘degradable’,‘compostable’, ‘recyclable’, ‘recycled content’, ‘source reduction’, ‘refillable’, and ‘ozone safe’. Charges of issuing false claims have been brought against companies that make coffee filters, disposable diapers, trash bags, and aerosols. Dozens of suspicious claims are being tracked. The message is clear: to be successful, products and services must be credible to cynical and confused consumers. One way to gain credibility is to obtain certification by any of the following organizations, all of which are attempting to put an end to the confusion about genuine greenness. TOOL Utilize Industry Standards Scientific Certification Systems (Formerly known as Green Cross) Founded in 1984 to test pesticide residues in agricultural products, Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), based in Oakland, California, has expanded its program, and now certifies a diverse array of environmental and food safety claims. Under its Environmental Claims Certification Program, introduced in 1990, SCS has certified single-criteria claims such as “recycled content,” “biodegradable”, “water-efficient”, and “no VOCs” for more than 1,100 products. The Environmental Report Card developed by SCS provides detailed information about the performance and environmental burdens of a product, based on a lifecycle, cradle-to-grave study of the product and its packaging. Launched at Chicago’s Hardware Show in August, 1993,“The report card is the environmental equivalent of a nutritional label” explained SCS President Dr. Stanley Rhodes. The burdens listed on the report card include: the natural resources depleted, the energy consumed, the pollution released into air or water, and the solid waste generated. Such assessments make it easier to compare the total environmental burden of one product relative to another. Companies that have commissioned product report cards, which cost as much as $30,000 each, include: • • • 18 North American Plastics: IronHold Recycle 1 trash bags; Webster Industries: RENEW trash bags; PlasticKote Inc.: PlastiKote enamel paints; INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 33: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit • • • • • • Benckiser Consumer Products: EarthRite household cleaning products; Chemical Specialities Inc.: ACQ PRESERVE treated wood; Chemfree: Insectigone home and garden care products; The TreeFree Company: TreeFree recycled napkins, paper towels, and tissues; Western Wood Products Association: Western lumber; Wellman Fibre Industries: Fortrel EcoSpun recycled polyester fibre used in carpeting, apparel, bedding, and upholstery. The SCS Forest Conservation Program, launched in 1991, uses an indexing system to rank forest management practices, based on their ability to sustain timber resources, maintain ecological viability, and promote sound socioeconomic development. Collins Pine Co., a family-owned business headquartered in Portland, Oregon, was the first to undergo evaluation and emerged with flying colours. “Collins’ conservation of mature timber in the working forest is essentially unique to industrial forestry,” said the 51-page study. “[Its] management practices demonstrated consistent appreciation for and cooperation with the natural forest processes, an essential component of any long term sustainable forestry program.”The Home Depot hardware chain sells sustainably harvested Collins pine. Certification standards for low-flow shower heads were released in May 1993, and standards for volatile organic compounds in architectural paints and coatings are under development. To raise consumer awareness of the environmental impact of their own daily activities, a Personal Environmental Report Card is now being developed. Commuting distances and transportation methods, home energy and water use, and recycling habits are included in the evaluation. Green Seal Green Seal is a U.S. non-profit environmental labelling organization that awards a seal of approval to products found to cause significantly less harm to the environment than other similar products. Green Seal develops environmental standards for consumer products through a public review process involving manufacturers, environmentalists, consumers and government agencies. Products are Green Seal-certified only after rigorous testing and evaluation. Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. is the primary testing contractor for Green Seal.The Green Seal Certification Mark — the blue globe with the green check — assures consumers that products bearing the Seal meet stringent environmental standards. AVALANCHE MARKETS 19
Slide 34: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Green Seal standards consider each product’s environmental impact, packaging, and performance. Products are generally evaluated over their life cycle: from manufacture, through use, to disposal or recycling. By setting standards for environmentally preferable products, Green Seal seeks to reduce air and water pollution; cut the waste of energy and natural resources; slow ozone depletion and the risk of global warming; prevent toxic contamination; and protect fish and wildlife and their habitat. Green Seal has developed standards and criteria for 52 product categories, including paints, household cleaners, paper products, water efficient fixtures, lighting, windows and window films, and major household appliances. To date, Green Seal has certified 112 products for 14 companies. Environmental Choice Canada’s government-sponsored Environmental Choice M Program started by evaluating single-criteria product claims, but has subsequently adopted a life cycle review process. Certified items carry the EcoLogoM, three doves intertwined to form the shape of a maple leaf. The logo helps consumers identify products that,in the course of their life cycle,improve energy efficiency, use recycled or recyclable materials, and minimize the use of hazardous substances. A 16-member national board provides advice on the development of environmental criteria and an independent technical agency assists in the verification and testing of products and services. Lists of certified brand name products and their manufacturers are available from the organization so that interested consumers can easily find certified products at retail establishments. Product categories evaluated to date include re-refined motor oil; reusable utility bags; recycled fine paper; reduced-pollution water-based paints; recycled newsprint; thermal insulation; ethanol-blended gasoline; products made from recycled plastic; reusable cloth diapers; alkaline batteries; zinc-air batteries; composters for residential waste; water-conserving products; reducedpollution solvent-based paints; laundry detergents; domestic water heaters; acoustical building materials; toner cartridges; dry cleaning services; compost; heat recovery ventilators; major household appliances; energy-efficient lamps; diaper services; automatic dishwasher detergents; sealants and caulking compounds; engine coolant concentrate; and adhesives. See “Directories”, page 117, for Product Certification and Labelling organizations. 20 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 35: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit TOOL Be Ready to Compete When the Mainstream Arrives Green retailing is headed for a shake-out. The result will be chaotic consolidation that will have a great impact on small green retailers and the manufacturers that sell exclusively through them. There are four key reasons a shakeout is unavoidable • • • • Most green consumers prefer to buy environmental products in stores where they already shop. Mainstream retailers are beginning to feature environmental products (K MART), create special green sections (Loblaws), and even open entire green-oriented stores (Wal-Mart). Established manufacturers are gradually offering greener products, targeted through mainstream distribution. Consumer-focused green entrepreneurs (for example, Tom’s of Maine) are supplying mainstream retailers, thus making green retailers less distinctive. As these trends accelerate, and they will, the number of smaller enterprises in the market will shrink. Larger companies will buy them up, mergers and alliances will occur, and businesses will fail. With the exception of companies that find sound merger partners, shake-out survivors will be those with a defined clientele whose special needs cannot be met as well by the bigger companies.The Body Shop, for example, has already developed a strong franchise operation, with loyal customers. Even as larger companies enter this market, few consumers are switching their allegiance. Two competitive strategies are recommended for green retailers. First, discover a customer niche that depends on more than a green differentiation. Second, build a following among the deepest green consumers. Either strategy requires coherent, attractive merchandising concepts, superlative value-added services, and ongoing development of exclusive selections of the newest products. Establishing and retaining customer loyalty will be key. For manufacturers that sell through green retailers, competitive strategies must be based on continual product innovation, exemplary retailer servicing, and a direct understanding of end consumers’ evolving needs and tastes. Small and medium size green stores and chains, or other specialty outlets, may remain your distribution system of choice. However, if the cost efficiencies and financing for expanded production are available, mainstream retailers may be the best option to explore. AVALANCHE MARKETS 21
Slide 36: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit TOOL Target Retailers That Want to Sell Green Products Retailers out to satisfy their customers are starting to tell store buyers to go for the green, if the product is also high quality and available at a competitive price. The Natural Connection,published in North Brattleboro, Vermont, is a retailer’s guide to manufacturers, wholesalers, and suppliers of environmentally friendly and recycled products. The company’s annual directory lists suppliers of 1,400 green items, from automotive accessories to baby care items to furniture. Kevin Connelly of The Natural Connection is also the facilitator for the Green Retailing Association, organized at a 1992 In Business conference. The association’s first annual meeting was held at the Boston Eco-Expo/Green Business Conference in October 1993. Public relations, teleconferencing, advocacy, and technical assistance are provided to members by the Co-op America Business Network, based in Washington, D.C. Wal-Mart, the largest retailer in the United States, and now a major player in Canada, provides a Green Guide and a green co-ordinator to each of its stores. Signs inform customers about the environmental attributes of products, and outside recycling bins are provided for packaging waste. A company-wide procurement guide is being developed. In June, 1993, the chain opened its first Eco-Mart in Lawrence, Kansas. Designed by innovative architects, the store employs the most environmentally advanced lighting and plumbing systems available, and incorporates environmentally superior building materials, including sustainably harvested timber. Home Depot, the largest hardware chain of its type in the world, is working with Scientific Certification Systems to develop certification programs and environmental education information for its customers. Mark Eisen, Home Depot’s manager of environmental marketing in Atlanta, actively seeks out green products and sponsors open buying days for new products at six offices throughout the United States. Products must first have mass market appeal and meet price, quality, and value criteria, says Eisen.“Even the largest manufacturers are only starting to learn that performance is number one and greenness is number two.” TOOL Concepts for a Competitive Strategy • The “first mover” company in any particular product category can often select the environmental attributes it wants to offer and mold consumer expectations so that future competitors must play by the rules established. • Companies can assume the mantle of being green leaders without greening completely. They need only be sincere and green in at least a few substantial ways. Companies can retain green market leadership by 22 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 37: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit introducing incremental improvements over time, a strategy called “greening as we go”. • Companies can often create an effective presence in green markets by putting a number of green improvements into a new (or refurbished) product or product line.As improvements are perfected and their consumer appeal tested, the “spearhead”line’s green attributes can be cost-effectively incorporated into the company’s other product lines. Green consumers love this approach. Barriers to competitors’ market entry can be erected in the course of establishing a green product.This leadership position can be protected for months or years. Barriers prevent competitor imitation and allow the leader to reap above average returns. Barriers may include patents, distribution rights, and demanding product standards. Many companies find that an environmentally-improved product, positioned for green-conscious youth, can renew an aging brand. This is important, especially for companies that sell primarily to the aging baby boomer generation. The green improvements of a youth line can also be readily applied to adult product lines. Manufacturers of products traditionally sold to men can increase sales by marketing green improvements to women. Greener female consumers are increasingly buying items like automobiles and paints and actually purchase the bulk of men’s cologne and apparel. Green market success can be enhanced by tying a product’s environmental attributes and message to the life style affinities of target consumers. Millions of hikers, for example,care about protecting wild lands; boaters are concerned about clean lakes and streams; mothers worry about their children’s health. Thus, a water sport product manufactured in a way that reduces water pollution carries an innate appeal to many boaters, while green household cleaners that substitute safe ingredients for dangerous chemicals tend to appeal to mothers. • • • • TOOL Action Plan for a Competitive Strategy Environmental Management • Manage greening strategically. First, develop a vision and a policy. Gain support of the greening process at the highest levels (i.e., CEO, division president, etc.), and ensure that support is demonstrated through action and money, as well as talk. Keep greening integrated. Greening touches all business functions and each function influences others. Build cooperation across departments, and AVALANCHE MARKETS 23 •
Slide 38: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit involve people from all levels of the company. Formal “green teams”are increasingly popular. • • Develop a strategy that encompasses all of your company’s stakeholders. Demonstrate market leadership. Educate customers about the environment, and make sure that internal operations are managed proactively, not in reaction to regulations. Design products and processes that incorporate environmental responsibility, and carry out cost-benefit analyses using cradle-to-grave, or cradle-to-cradle, life-cycle costing. Explore all possible ways your product can be environmentally improved. Examine the relative environmental benefits of each alternative, as well as the cost and ease of implementation. Set priorities. Typically, several measures can be found that save money or are cost-neutral. Prepare a phased plan of environmental improvements to accomplish over time. Estimate the likely timing and content of competitors’ responses and be ready to offer additional improvements to maintain leadership. Incorporate specific estimates of the tasks and time required to effect each planned improvement. Ensure that your products meet or exceed the quality expectations and requirements of your customers. Durable, quality products generally enhance environmental performance. Thoroughly test your products under consumer-use conditions. Research environmental attitudes and purchasing criteria of your customers. Pursue alliances with other companies, environmental groups, universities, and research organizations. Combine public relations, imaging, and other marketing/communications efforts with traditional advertising. Err on the side of understatement when making environmental claims. Being conservative avoids backlash. Whenever possible, let others praise your efforts. Do not establish unrealistic expectations. Communicate through sources people trust. Treat environmentally-conscious consumers with respect. They tend to be well-educated, analytical, and cynical about corporate claims. Product Strategies • • • • • • • • • • Marketing and Communications 24 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 39: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit • • • • • • • • • • Admit mistakes and past errors. Show how the company and its products are improving. Communicate simply — avoid environmental jargon. Focus on public relations more than advertising. Develop community outreach programs involving your company and the areas it serves. Work with your corporate customers to “partner”environmental programs specific to their industries. Collect stories of employees’ green implementation efforts and try to publicize them, being concrete and educational in your approach. Educate the public and the media about the environmental issues related to your company or industry. Prepare responses to environmental questions likely to be asked by the media. Involve knowledgeable technical people – not just PR professionals. Anticipate bad press and prepare information and documentation to minimize its impact. Wherever possible, supply consumers with sufficient, but simple, information so they can evaluate advertising claims themselves. Remember that claims must be backed up with evidence. Simple graphs or illustrations can be helpful. While images of nature are useful, avoid ads that are purely soft and fuzzy image enhancers. Green consumers suspect empty images. Avoid ads that are overly cute. Consumers believe environmental responsibility should not be trivialized.Even 12-year olds think such ads are corny. Test ads with green consumers before airing them.This avoids backlash. Consider using advertising inserts to convey complex environmental information in print media. Include educational pieces written by neutral authorities or company experts, along with traditional visual and image ads. Highlight novel instructions or product usage modifications on the packaging and in advertising. To overcome concerns about effectiveness, offer strong inducements to try the product. Free samples are an especially persuasive strategy. Public Relations Advertising • • • • • • AVALANCHE MARKETS 25
Slide 40: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit • • • • • Leverage the influence of children to encourage parents to test green products. Gain environmental endorsements where possible, but be selective. Use labels to convey precise, detailed information about your product and/or packaging. Ensure compliance with government labelling guidelines. Use consumer hot lines to disseminate and gather information about environmental issues and customer concerns. Point of sale displays,brochures, and videos are effective for providing more in-depth information than can be offered on labels.They should be used to catch the eye and communicate the uniqueness of the company’s green products. Educate consumers hungry for environmental information. Companies have used television programming, magazine articles, classroom curricula, and community classes or meetings as effective ways of reaching environmentally concerned consumers. Grasp the long term. Opinion leaders are going green. Our kids are growing up. The environment is an issue for the future as well as the present. Learn, act, and communicate patiently. Environmental responsibility is not learned or built overnight. Strategic alliances require cultivation. Credible communications do not always come “cheap and easy”. Build in sustainability — that’s where reality is leading. The fundamental reason to go green is because our survival depends on it. Pollution, waste, and toxins will not vanish magically. The earth is the only home we’ve got. Savour the joy of doing things right. Other Marketing Strategies • Attitude • • • • See “Directories”, pages 118-122, for Marketing Resources and Sales Leads. Green Procurement: Purchasing for a Sustainable Future Rising waste-disposal costs, stricter environmental legislation, demands for increased corporate accountability, and mounting liability concerns are reforming traditional business practices. In response, companies and governments are looking for environmental leverage points in the market place. 26 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT FOR
Slide 41: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit A growing number of businesses and government agencies are discovering that the power of their purse can accelerate the availability of greener, cleaner products. By specifying minimum recycled content, improved energy efficiency, or reduced toxicity in their tender specifications, demand from these buyers is beginning to dramatically increase the supply and quality of a broad range of environmentally superior products. As discussed earlier, an expanding number of certification and labelling organizations are available to evaluate supplier claims. Many voluntary programs sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are also stimulating manufacturers to offer a variety of environmentally improved products. Green product directories, public and private sector purchasing guidelines, and a few of the more innovative trade associations also provide assistance in identifying and obtaining environmentally superior goods and services. “We’re the people who spend money. We have the cheque-books and suppliers have to give us what we want, not the other way around,”said Mike Cleveland, purchasing manager with Keystone Cement Company, Bath, Pennsylvania, at a Buy Recycled Workshop in Allentown. His attitude is becoming the norm and suppliers had better listen. AT&T, General Motors, S.C. Johnson & Son, and Xerox are among the growing number of corporate giants asking suppliers to become more environmentally responsive. TOOL Respond to Customers’ Stated Intentions From gentle nudges to new purchasing specifications to threats about taking business elsewhere,buyers are making their new purchasing intentions known. Suppliers that respond quickly and effectively can retain valued customers and even increase sales. Ace Hardware Corporation tried the hard ball approach with suppliers in 1991. It sent a letter, questionnaire, and environmental policy statement that said, “The Paint Division will begin conducting audits of all our vendors during 1992 with special emphasis on safety and environmental issues. We reserve the right to immediately cancel any business awarded to a vendor found to be in noncompliance with any applicable federal, state, or local regulations, or who ...shows blatant disregard for the best interests of our environment...” A few non-responsive suppliers were dropped, but most were cooperative, though surprised. When Xerox Corporation decided it wanted standardized packaging with bar codes at all its plants, it actively assisted suppliers in making the transition. A letter and information packet describing the program were coupled with a day long training session, complete with brochures and a 16-minute take-away AVALANCHE MARKETS 27
Slide 42: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit video. In autumn 1993, the company’s Environmental Leadership Program released a Business Guide to Waste Reduction and Recycling. Smart suppliers will read it thoroughly, act on the suggestions, and actively market products and services that will assist customers to adopt the recommended practices. “No one can wield the power of the purse more effectively than a big company, and General Motors, the United States’ largest manufacturer, has figured out that by leaning on its suppliers, it can save both cash and trash”, Joel Makower wrote in The E Factor. A program to eliminate packaging waste, begun by GM’s Chevrolet-PontiacCanada Group, is going North America-wide. Since January 1, 1994, GM’s midsize assembly plants take no more shrink wrap, pallets, foam peanuts, cardboard boxes or strapping tape — NO packaging waste. The initiative is a component of the company’s WE CARE Program, which stands for Waste Elimination and Cost Awareness Rewards Everyone. Few suppliers are prepared to lose a customer as large as GM.They are more likely to change over their entire packaging and distribution system. TOOL Work Together as Partners Improving the environmental behaviour of individuals, companies, and nations cannot be done in isolation by any one group. The complexity of ecosystems and markets requires that knowledge and efforts be pooled. Two companies stand out in their willingness to act on this awareness. In February 1991, S.C. Johnson & Son, a consumer products manufacturer headquartered in Racine, Wisconsin, hosted an International Suppliers’ Day Environmental Symposium for 57 of its top 70 suppliers worldwide. Titled “Partners Working for a Better World”, the meeting discussed international environmental trends and relayed S.C. Johnson’s environmental performance goals. Suppliers were asked to recommend strategies for improving the biodegradation and recycling of the company’s products and packaging; for reducing waste at all stages of production,distribution,and use; and for limiting the emission of volatile organic compounds in aerosols. S.C. Johnson has continued the dialogue by publishing a twice yearly Partners newsletter for its suppliers. The following commentary, written by Executive Vice President Barry P. Harris, appeared in the August 1992 issue. Our corporate environmental goals identify 1993 and 1995 as completion dates for a series of improvements to the environmental profiles of our products and processes. We want our partnership with our suppliers to bring forward varied packaging technology alternatives which reflect significant source reduction. We also want our partnerships to bring forward 28 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 43: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit formulation options reflecting reduced environmental impact and requiring less packaging overall.And we want to do it now. Clearly those suppliers who answer our call to action today can most benefit from our continued partnership tomorrow, for they will be the leaders of the new order of corporate environmental activism. Canadian Pacific Hotels and Resorts also works closely with its suppliers and staff to improve environmental performance.The company’s booklet The Green Partnership Guide: 12 Steps to Help Create an Environmentally Friendly Setting for Our Guests, Ourselves and Our Future deals with all aspects of the chain’s operations. Advice on improving efficiency, and reducing toxicity and waste, is provided for all staff. Individual sections cover the kitchen, housekeeping, repairs and renovations, stores and purchasing, laundry, grounds, rooms, and food service. An extensive contacts section lists sources of recycled paper, organic food and wines,phosphate-free dish washing detergents,energy efficient lighting, watersaving fixtures, waste and recycling operations, and environmentally friendly cleaning products, paints, and wood finishes. The message is clear: if you want to sell to C.P. Hotels, you must provide environmentally superior products. TOOL Forge New Alliances/Watch for Leaders of the Pack Smaller companies and organizations, with less clout in the market place, are working jointly to influence suppliers. An Ontario initiative, called Governments Incorporating Procurement Policies to Eliminate Refuse (GIPPER), has brought together school boards, transit commissions, Canada’s largest electric utility, and local, regional, and provincial government agencies to develop a proactive and comprehensive procurement policy. The current focus is on waste reduction. Guidelines have been developed for cleaning products, compost, construction and demolition materials, paint, paper, and packaging. Items for future consideration include plastics and rubber; petroleum, oils, and lubricants; and energy-efficient lighting products. Entrepreneurs can benefit by tracking the development of these alliances or, better still, by playing a role in initiating them. Look for partners at your local, state or provincial agencies, school boards, trade associations or local business improvement committees. Use your networks to get ideas from leaders of the pack. Initiatives that work in one setting may well transfer to another. Your investment of time can pay off handsomely. You may forge alliances to develop new products and services or work together to create and tap new distribution channels. And, remember to let your customers know about your leadership efforts. AVALANCHE MARKETS 29
Slide 44: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Paper Purchasers Unite As every office worker knows, electronic information systems will not phase out paper any time soon. Indeed, paper products account for one-third of all municipal solid waste. In an effort to cut costs and create a market for the paper collected by recycling programs, the Council of Great Lakes Governors spearheaded an unprecedented cooperative purchase of 30 million pounds of recycled copier paper in 1992. Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin joined in the bidding process.The region settled on four distributors offering Hammermill and Envirographics paper. The savings: half a million dollars in taxpayers’money, three million pounds of waste paper diverted from disposal, 130,000 trees, and the energy equivalent of 771,000 gallons of gasoline. Two additional paper purchases have been made since and the Council now collectively purchases six additional products: retreaded tires, re-refined oil, high speed computer form paper, envelopes, other soft paper goods and plastic safety cones. All 50 states now have buy recycled programs of one form or another, and 15 have agreed to pay as much as a 10 percent premium for recycled products. Several provinces have also launched buy recycled programs. In August, 1993, a task force created to increase the use of environmentally preferable paper and paperboard products was formed by seven large U.S. organizations. Duke University, the Environmental Defense Fund, Johnson & Johnson, McDonald’s, NationsBank Corp, the Prudential Insurance Company of America, and Time Inc. together purchase more than $1 billion worth of paper products annually. They are major national consumers of business and writing papers, publications, and packaging. They have agreed to assess their paper performance needs and purchasing specifications, and then to conduct a comprehensive study of the environmental effects of paper production, use, recycling, and disposal. Recycled and virgin papers and a variety of pulping and bleaching technologies will be evaluated on both a scientific and an economic basis. A purchasing model, applicable to a broad range of institutions, is scheduled for release in late 1994. TOOL Watch for Kick-Started Markets Governments at many levels are trying to kick-start new markets for products made from recycled materials. Staying abreast of the legislation, regulations, and business assistance programs can spur ideas for developing new products and services. New market opportunities for existing products may also arise. 30 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 45: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Many states and provinces have adopted procurement programs for recycled products. These programs help to provide market stability for secondary materials processors. In British Columbia, highway centre lines are more reflective at night because they are sprayed with pellets made of waste glass. Government office buildings use recycled paper made, in part, from waste collected on the premises. The province’s Parliament buildings and office interiors are painted with recycled latex paint, 30 percent of which is acquired from household waste collection. Oregon, which wants to achieve a goal of 50 percent recycling by 1995, has passed legislation specifying minimum recycled content standards for a range of materials, regardless who buys them. Glass must be made from 35 percent recycled content, phone directories and rigid plastic containers from 25 percent recycled content, and newspapers from 7.5 percent recycled content. In New York State, the threat of legislation led to a voluntary agreement with area newspaper publishers, specifying 40 percent recycled content in newsprint by 1997. California and New Jersey give generous tax credits to companies that invest in recycling equipment. In June 1992, California’s Integrated Waste Management Board designated 12 Recycling Development Zones throughout the state, the first of 40 to be created over five years. Businesses in those zones get a tax credit to purchase recycling equipment if the final product will contain at least 50 percent recycled materials. Low-interest loans of up to $1 million, manufacturing referrals, and marketing and technical assistance are also available. Additional local incentives and expedited permitting are often part of the package. Applicants have proposed making insulation and egg cartons out of newsprint; asphalt from glass bottles; erosion controls, artificial reefs, and roadbeds from old tires; and plastic cones, lumber, and chemical feedstock from discarded plastics. Under California law, communities must recycle 25 percent of their solid waste by 1995, and 50 percent by the year 2000. New Jersey offers 50 percent tax credits for the purchase of recycling equipment, as well as state sales tax exemptions of six percent. The state is particularly interested in companies that recycle non-traditional items like tires, construction and demolition debris, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), and batteries. The Clean Washington Center, a market development initiative of the state’s Department of Trade and Economic Development, has published a directory of 600 products made from recycled materials. The Center is pushing local Nordstrom and Sears department stores to carry these items. To eliminate price volatility for secondary materials, the Center was instrumental in getting scrap plastic and glass listed as trading commodities on the Chicago Board of Trade. AVALANCHE MARKETS 31
Slide 46: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit TOOL Understand Federal Government Purchasing Programs As the major operator of hospitals, schools, offices, prisons, and other institutions, local, state and federal governments in the United States make purchases that comprise about 18 percent of the gross national product and total almost a trillion dollars annually. Between 1983 and 1989, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued procurement guidelines for recycled paper, re-refined motor oil, insulation made from secondary materials, cement and concrete containing fly ash, and retreaded tires. In April 1994, EPA proposed to designate 21 additional items, including construction and landscaping products, fleet products, and office products. A fall 1993 Executive Order on Federal Acquisition, Recycling, and Waste Reduction is likely to have a major impact on the federal government’s purchase of printing, copying, writing, and computer paper. By December 31, 1994, the federal government must purchase paper with a minimum content of 20 percent post-consumer waste material. By the end of 1998, these papers must have 30 percent post-consumer content. Although the federal government purchases only a few percent of the nation’s paper, the standard will likely become the industry norm by 1995. The General Services Administration (GSA), the author of massive U.S. government purchasing catalogues, is now starting to identify and highlight such environmentally improved products as recycled paper and energyefficient lighting systems. GSA publishes the Environmental Products Guide 1994 referenced on page 125 in the directories. TOOL Tips To Green Your Own Suppliers • Get top management’s support. This will put teeth into any policy you try to impose on other companies. • Put the policy in writing. Send it to the CEO, VP for sales or marketing, or other top executive who can implement the policy. • Let money talk. Promote the program on the basis of cost savings, efficiency, and market advantage. • Make a presentation. Show costs, benefits, and laws applying to both your and the supplier’s operations.The more homework you’ve done, the better the case you can make. • Request a response within a given amount of time. Allow the supplier to implement the plan over a generous period. But don’t let them put you off for long. 32 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 47: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit • • • Educate your own employees about the need for and the mechanics of the programs. Offer training, support, technical assistance, and resource lists. Pool your resources. If your company is a small customer, work through your industry’s trade association to team up with other companies and maximize buying power. Play up the competitive angle. Make it known that other suppliers have already made the change, and that other customers would buy the “greener” product. Let suppliers know that you are shopping the competition. Ask the supplier for help in coming up with solutions. Good ones will generate ideas and may have access to products you don’t know about. Don’t ask other companies to implement policies your company hasn’t yet adopted.That could backfire; you may risk being called hypocritical. • • Adapted and reprinted with permission from Joel Makower’s, The E Factor, Tilden Press, 1519 Connecticut Ave. NW., Washington, D.C., 20036, 1993. Telephone: 202-332-1700. TOOL A Buyer’s or Seller’s Checklist for Green Procurement If you are a supplier, be prepared to answer the following questions from your customers. When purchasing, ask these questions of your suppliers. The first and overriding question, of course, is whether the product or service is truly necessary. • Does the product use fewer polluting byproducts than competing products? Is the product durable and easily, safely, and economically serviced? Are any components of required maintenance environmentally damaging? Are all the features of the product necessary? Is the company producing the product in compliance with all environmental laws and regulations? Are you aware of any product alternatives that are more environmentally responsible? Is the product designed to reduce consumption? Is the product designed to minimize waste? Is the product reusable? Is the product technically and economically recyclable? Do facilities exist to recycle the product? Are recycling collection systems in place at the point of end use? Can the product be returned to the supplier at the end of its useful life? Is the product compostable? AVALANCHE MARKETS 33 • •
Slide 48: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit • • Are recycled materials used in the product? If so, what percentage? What percentage of post-consumer materials are used? Is the product energy efficient? Can the product be recharged? Can the product run on rene wable fuels? Does the product reduce water use? Does the product require special disposal? Is the product free of any banned substances? heavy metals? Is the product free of toxic or endangered materials? Does the product emit volatile organic compounds or other air pollutants? Does the product require special use instructions for health and safety? Can the packaging be eliminated? Is the packaging designed to be minimal? Is the product packaged in bulk? Is the packaging reusable or recyclable? Are recycled materials used to produce the packaging? Can the packaging be returned to the supplier? Is the packaging compostable? Has a lifecycle analysis of the environmental burdens associated with the product or packaging been conducted by a certified testing organization? Is the company producing the product equipped to bid and bill electronically? Does the company have an environmental policy statement? What is the company’s history on environmental and safety issues? Can the company verify all environmental claims? What waste reduction programs does the company have in place? planned? Has the company conducted an environmental or waste audit? Is the company responsive to information requests from stakeholders? • • • • • The preceding questions can be applied when making a wide range of purchasing decisions. To make sure no area is overlooked, consider all aspects of your operation. These may include: paper packaging office equipment and supplies photocopying photodeveloping 34 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE carpeting furniture and fixtures water use devices batteries vehicles/motor oil/tires/fuels FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 49: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit printing cleaning products and devices grounds maintenance janitorial services food service equipment and supplies food and beverages lighting paints de-icing compounds heating and cooling equipment windows and doors ventilation systems employee transportation delivery and distribution systems transportation services hotel accommodations See “Directories”, pages 123-132, for Green Procurement Sales Leads. Green Industries: Markets for Environmental Technologies This section of the Tool Kit briefly describes the global market potential for environmental technologies, where the full force of an avalanche is now breaking. The following pages provide an overview of the size, trends, and development within the more traditional environmental industries. The forces driving the next generation of environmental technologies are discussed in the following chapter: Business Opportunities in Sustainable Technology. Typically involved in remediation, abatement, and pollution prevention, environmental industries supply knowledge- and technology-intensive products and services. In most countries, these industries are composed primarily of small and medium sized companies; in Canada, for example, most such firms employ fewer than 50 people. As the commitment to sustainable development takes hold in national and global markets, this industry will grow rapidly. In Canada, the market for environmental products, services, and technology is about US $10 billion a year and expected to grow to US $17 billion by 1997. In the United States, this $134 billion industry is expected to grow 6 percent annually to $180 billion in 1997. In Mexico, the environmental services industry is a major new business area with projected rapid growth of 15 percent, to $2 billion, in 1997. With implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Canada, the United States, and Mexico are hives of activity. Companies and governments are gearing up for opportunities in domestic and crossborder environmental cleanups and pollution prevention. The Environmental Business International Journal estimates the global market for environmental industries at $295 billion, with a 44 percent increase, to $426 billion, projected by 1997. AVALANCHE MARKETS 35
Slide 50: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit The Global Environmental Industr y 1992 $ US Billions United States Canada Mexico Latin America Western Europe Eastern Europe/ex USSR Japan Australia/New Zealand Southeast Asia Rest of the World TOTAL 134 10 1 6 94 14 21 3 6 6 295 Average Annual Growth % 6 11 15 12 7 14 8 9 16 8 8 1997 $ US Billions 180 17 2 10 132 27 31 5 13 9 426 Source: Environmental Business International Journal. 4452 Park Blvd., Suite 306, San Diego, CA 92116-4039. Telephone: (619) 295-7685, Fax: (619) 295-5743. “There’s a general understanding that environmental regulations will develop in the future”, says Ted Owens, an industry leader who is Senior Vice President of International Operations for Groundwater Technologies, Inc.“If they’re not in place now, they will be”and business opportunities will flow along side. The Environmental Business International Journal outlines the evolution of a national environmental industry as follows: • • • • • • Public pressure to address environmental problems begins to mount. The government declares its policy, to meet public demands. Legislation is passed to implement government policy. Regulatory agencies are formed and regulations are promulgated. The emphasis is on enforcement; generators of environmentally unsound products or practices begin to take compliance seriously, creating business for environmental companies. Generators start to take it upon themselves to actively manage and reduce their own environmental problems, staying ahead of regulations. INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 36 FOR
Slide 51: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit • Environmental responsibility is internalized into methods that replace waste- and pollution-generating processes. This reduces demand for traditional environmental products and services, but opens new markets in pollution-prevention technologies and processes. The United States, Canada, Western Europe, and Japan are the furthest along on this evolutionary path and have the largest markets for both pollution control and pollution prevention technologies. Many countries in Asia, Latin America, and Central and Eastern Europe are just starting to tackle pollution problems and as a result will have the fastest growing markets for remediation and control technologies. If the appropriate regulatory, economic, and fiscal incentives are put into place, and sufficient investment capital is available, companies and industries within these regions may be able to accelerate the adoption of prevention strategies. Neatly measuring the transition from pollution control to pollution prevention is often difficult. Remediation and abatement technologies are easy to classify within the environmental industry. New products, manufacturing technologies, and process designs, however, tend to be categorized within their relevant industry, and not as “environmental”. Compact fluorescent lamps and CFCfree, energy efficient refrigerators, for example, are classified as lighting and appliances, while flue gas desulphurization units (or scrubbers) are termed “environmental technologies”. Unless environmental technologies are redefined, slower acting countries may be perceived as having the largest environmental markets. In countries where environmentally superior goods and technologies are sought in all sectors, the numbers may erroneously appear less impressive. TOOL Monitor and Participate in Voluntary Programs As part of its ongoing effort to reduce air pollution and the emission of greenhouse gases, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has launched a series of voluntary programs with industry. The actions “are good ideas on economic grounds alone,” says the agency. “Energy efficiency is indeed ‘no regrets’.” Participating companies will keep abreast of the latest technology developments, be able to monitor the activities of competitors, and avoid being left behind in this rapidly changing field. The first voluntary initiative, the Green Lights program, began in January 1991. By fall 1993, the owners of more than one billion square feet of commercial, industrial, and institutional space were improving the efficiency of their lighting systems. More than 1,000 upgrades are under way, with three billion square feet of space committed, far exceeding the combined total office space in the AVALANCHE MARKETS 37
Slide 52: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit metropolitan areas of New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and Dallas. It is estimated that the resultant savings in annual electricity bills will be $870 million. If the goal of committing 60 billion square feet of space by the year 2000 is reached, annual savings will total $16 billion. A residential component was added in December 1992. Another, utility-sponsored, initiative offered $30 million to the first company to design and commercialize a CFC-free refrigerator with improved energy efficiency. Refrigerators consume 20 percent of all residential electricity. Whirlpool and Frigidaire, the winner and runner up, respectively, have both decided to market their entries. A 1990 model refrigerator already uses about 40 percent less energy than its 1970 counterpart. The new Super Efficient Refrigerator Program will further boost performance. Federal standards issued in Canada in 1991 required a 30 percent improvement in energy efficiency by 1994. Participants in the Energy Star Computers program, launched in June 1992, make 40 percent of all personal computers and workstations sold in the United States. As of September 1992, the list of companies committed to introducing machines that automatically power down when not in use included: Acer America Apple Computer Compaq Computer Digital Equipment EMPaC International Hewlett Packard Hyundai Electronics America IBM NCR Silicon Graphics Smith Corona Zenith Data Systems In February 1993, the manufacturers of 80 percent of the computer printers sold in the United States agreed to reduce energy consumption by 30 to 50 percent per printer, mostly as the result of powering down. Energy cost savings are estimated at $450 million per year. Since October 1993, all Federal agencies in the United States have been required to buy computer products that meet the Energy Star guidelines. Products targeted for future technical improvements include: industrial motors building technologies refrigerants industrial electrolytics variable speed drive motors for ventilation residential heating and cooling technologies commercial/residential cooking equipment 38 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR building shell improvements low flow shower heads clothes washers and dryers advanced heat pumps solar thermal water heaters amorphous core transformers SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 53: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit “Energy efficiency is BIG business”, according to EPA. Sales in just four product categories — efficient lighting,personal computers, variable speed motor drives for ventilation, and refrigerators — “are expected to total $53 billion by the end of the decade, comparable to the entire domestic paper producing industry”. TOOL Watch the Leaders in Pollution Prevention Deciding it was time for the federal government to catch up with private sector pollution prevention efforts, President Clinton signed an Executive Order directing federal facilities to reduce their toxic emissions 50 percent by 1999, and to report any release of toxic pollutants to the public. Similar legislation, covering 10,000 private manufacturers, took effect in 1986 and has dramatically reduced toxic emissions. Many companies were shocked into action when required to measure and tabulate their release of 317 toxic chemicals at individual production facilities, and to make the findings public. A similar, but more recent program in Canada, the National Pollutant Release Inventory, applies to 178 chemicals. The first reporting deadline for firms that emit these chemicals was June 1, 1994. Environment Canada intends to make the information publicly available by December, 1994. The effect of the U.S. legislation has been so pervasive that in 1991, one thousand U.S. companies agreed to participate in a voluntary Environmental Protection Agency program known as 33/50.The companies pledged to reduce emissions of 17 chemicals 33 percent by 1992,and 50 percent by 1995. Some are far exceeding their commitment. One of the overachievers is Dow Chemical, once synonymous with napalm, Agent Orange, and a variety of health-threatening pesticides. Fortune magazine recently ranked the company as one of the 10 cleanest U.S. manufacturers.The company cut toxic releases by 32 percent between 1988 and 1991 — to a level that is among the lowest in the industry on a per dollar of sales basis. Far from ravaging Dow’s bottom line, the environmental control program is called Waste Reduction Always Pays. As one of the first companies to put its senior environmental officer on the Board of Directors, Dow knows the value of issuing guidelines from the top. Smart suppliers of environmental technologies don’t wait for purchasing agents to inform them of changing company priorities. TOOL Work Together for Maximum Effectiveness New trade associations and industry networks are springing up to keep members abreast of rapid changes in the environmental technologies market, and growing domestic and export opportunities. The Environmental Business AVALANCHE MARKETS 39
Slide 54: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Council of the United States, and a growing number of state and regional chapters,holds briefing and strategy sessions for members. Lobbying efforts are also intensifying. In Canada, seven provincial environmental industry associations, and a national office in Ottawa, are also working to coordinate and strengthen member company activities. See “Directories”, pages 133-135, for Environmental Industry Associations. 40 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 55: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Business Opportunities in Sustainable Technology BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY 41
Slide 56: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit 42 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 57: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit B • • ecause of environmental and regulatory pressures and scientific advances, a broad range of innovative technologies is advancing rapidly. In order to spark ideas for developing and marketing new technologies, this section looks at many different market drivers. To keep abreast of rapid changes and potential markets, entrepreneurs need to: Follow trends in regulations and standards, where markets can be created or destroyed overnight. Governments change regulations for a variety of reasons, among them lobbying and scientific evidence. Become familiar with international environmental agreements. While countries enter into agreements for the same fundamental reasons they make regulations, an international protocol or convention signifies both broad international accord on a problem, and government commitment to tackle it. The markets created from these agreements will be massive — cutting across many regions and industries.The technologies developed to comply with the agreements will focus on eco-efficiency, pollution prevention, and sustainability. Monitor rapid technological advances, such as those now taking place in electronics and photovoltaics. Technical advances, and reduced costs, make new activities, products or services possible, thereby opening new markets. Watch for economic and social trends that are“pulling”the development of sustainable technologies. These include higher, market-based prices for many resources, and a move by governments away from regulation toward the use of economic instruments and performance standards. • • The following tools offer ways to organize or select from the vast range of technical developments constantly under way. • Technology trees, developed as part of the EarthEnterprise™ Project, organize technologies into functional groups.(See pages 50-55).They show which technologies should be regarded as competitors, which might be especially promising, and which have the largest potential markets. Assessment criteria for technology opportunities help evaluate the appropriateness of a technology for a particular market and entrepreneur. Useful criteria include the state and timing of the technological development, its physical and financial scale, its potential market size, and barriers to entry. Characteristics of the technology that make it sustainable. • • The question answered here is not “What are the winning technologies?”, but “What are the techniques or tools for identifying winning technologies?" The BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY 43
Slide 58: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit following tools can be a source of ideas, an approach to filling out the details of a concept, and a framework for demonstrating the quality of the concept. The Demand Side: What Creates Markets for New Technology? Markets are the key issue for technological entrepreneurs. How can the entrepreneur or the investor ensure that they are targeting real markets? How can they ensure that the product or service actually meets customers’ needs? The following tools help answer these questions and minimize entrepreneurial risks. TOOL Understand Environmental Laws, Regulations, and Standards as Technology Drivers The entrepreneur must be equipped to efficiently identify and assess which national and state/provincial environmental laws, regulations, and standards will affect business opportunities. The field is extremely complex, but staying current and anticipating trends can help an entrepreneur capitalize on opportunities and stay ahead of the pack. Whether applied in North America or elsewhere, to imported or exported products, these regulations are driving the development of environmental technologies. Most companies in the environmental sector attempt to anticipate and follow closely the introduction of new regulations and standards that may create or destroy technology markets. Current laws, regulations and standards cover a wide range of subjects including: • • • • • • • • 44 Discharge of pollutants to air, water, and land; Worker and industrial safety; Product content, including chemicals and recycled materials; Technical performance, including energy and water use; Labelling information on environmental, energy, safety and performance standards; Requirements for reusing/recycling products and packaging; Protection of endangered habitats and species. Key Insights About Environmental Laws, Regulations And Standards The regulations will become more stringent. INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT FOR
Slide 59: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit • • • • • • • • The highest standard among trading partners will likely become the relevant measure of performance. Enforcement will increase. So-called “voluntary”standards will increase in number and stringency. There will be more use of third-party certification. There will be a slow transition to market-based mechanisms, e.g., a carbon tax. The polluter pays principle will become more prevalent. The precautionary principle will be more widely adopted. A law passed in one country will have impacts beyond national boundaries. The U. S. Clean Air Act is an example of legislation that is generating significant international business opportunities, primarily in abatement, but also in pollution prevention and sustainable technologies. New fuels, vehicles, appliances, paints, and electricity generating technologies are being developed around the world to comply with the Act. The effects of voluntary and regulated standards related to appliance efficiency, paper bleaching, and packaging also ricochet around the world. Technology leaders in the most advanced market soon become technology leaders globally. TOOL Assess International Agreements as Sustainable Technology Drivers The demand for sustainable technologies is being driven, in part, by the recognition of such global problems as atmospheric change, loss of biodiversity, toxic chemical accumulations, and resource degradation and depletion. Scientists, environmental groups, governments, and international agencies are trying to deal with these issues in international forums. Although tedious to draft, the binding agreements that result catalyze enormous change. Domestic legislation and regulations follow as countries implement their international commitments. Long, drawn-out negotiations and implementation schedules present a window of opportunity during which entrepreneurs can judge whether a profitable business venture will result. Recent international agreements on slowing ozone depletion, climate change, and biodiversity loss constitute a unique set of drivers for developing new products, technologies, and production processes. Financial rewards await the companies that develop timely solutions. The key is being aware of, and able to assess, the agreements for their business potential. BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY 45
Slide 60: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Among the major international agreements driving technologies, now or in the future, are: Montreal Protocol on Ozone Depleting Substances Adopted by 25 countries in 1987, the Protocol has been amended twice and ratified by 127 parties. It calls for the complete phase out of fully halogenated chemical emissions by the end of 1995. Emissions of halons, a chemical used in fire extinguishers, were banned in 1993.The Protocol is undoubtedly the most advanced international agreement and has been implemented by national legislation in dozens of signatory countries. It has spawned a flurry of business activity in CFC recycling equipment and services, alternative refrigeration and air conditioning technologies, substitute chemicals, and new cleaning processes for electronic equipment. Halozone Recycling Inc. has capitalized on the Montreal Protocol with its“Blue Bottle”for capturing refrigerants used in household refrigeration, and in residential and automotive air conditioning. A case study on Halozone, describing how the Blue Bottle was developed, financed and marketed appears on pages 64-69. Framework Convention on Climate Change There is growing concern that increasing emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), including carbon dioxide, will augment the natural greenhouse effect on the Earth’s atmosphere, and trigger climate change. Among the probable consequences: flooding of low-lying areas, drought, and more severe weather patterns. Energy consumption is the principal human activity that produces GHGs. The Climate Convention became law on March 21, 1994, after being ratified by 50 countries. Many industrial nations are beginning to make commitments to reduce GHG emissions to 1990 levels. Business opportunities are thus growing in all fields related to energy efficiency. Developing, introducing, and globally disseminating these technologies and practices will require new financing, communication, and management strategies. The sectors most likely to be influenced and some of the new technologies that may be required are shown on pages 52-54. Convention on Biological Diversity In addition to helping feed and clothe us, biological resources provide shelter, fuel and medications. Millions of the Earth’s species are still unidentified, and the usefulness of many others has never been assessed. The ecosystems that house these species are being eroded by human activity. This Convention aims to conserve biological diversity and to make sustainable and equitable use of its components. Nations that sign the Convention agree to rehabilitate and protect 46 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 61: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit ecosystems and to facilitate access to genetic materials for environmentally sound uses. Industrial countries will financially assist developing countries to implement the Convention. The pharmaceutical, agricultural, energy, and forestry sectors will be the most affected. The Convention became law on December 29, 1993, after being ratified by 30 countries. Shaman Pharmaceuticals is one of several companies that is trying to protect biological diversity and to develop commercial drugs from rain forest plants. Using the knowledge of traditional medicine men in the tropics, the company tries to identify the active ingredient that might form the basis of a new drug. Shaman will devote a share of future revenues to protect the biological diversity of tropical forests and the cultural diversity and knowledge of their residents. Merck and Pharmacognetics have also promised to share revenues from biologically derived drugs. Principles on Managing, Conserving, and Sustainably Developing All Types of Forests World-wide, forests are threatened by physical and chemical degradation and conversion to other uses. There is an urgent need to maintain or restore the world’s ecological balance by conserving and planting forests in both industrial and developing countries. By June 1992, a series of principles for sustainable forest use had been developed and may form the basis of further negotiations leading to a binding agreement. Entrepreneurs may find opportunities arising from new management and harvesting methods, and from modified machinery that encourages more sustainable practices and more efficient use of forest products. Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between Canada and the United States involves the governments of states and provinces bordering the Great Lakes. The Agreement’s focus on technologies and practices that minimize emissions of toxic substances into the Great Lakes Basin is replicable in other watersheds. Over the past 20 years, the agreement has resulted in enormous investments in water pollution control and sewage treatment technologies and their installation. The emphasis is now shifting to water pollution prevention technologies. International agreements are often difficult to understand and follow, especially for companies with few resources. While voluminous specialized information sources, government reports, and tracking services exist, they are intended to serve negotiators, regulators and lawyers, rather than the entrepreneur seeking a good idea. The first hurdle for BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY 47
Slide 62: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit the entrepreneur, therefore, is awareness. Be sure to follow newspaper reports of general progress made on international agreements. To get more detailed information, phone the government agencies responsible for negotiating or administering the agreement. For more specific questions, get in touch with the relevant industry association. Non-governmental organizations and specialized newsletters may also have valuable insights on market directions. Entrepreneurs interested in exploiting the business opportunities created must be aware of the potentially long lead times between the negotiation of international agreements and their implementation. Moreover, in spite of global intentions, there are usually some countries that will not participate. Business must also be aware that international agreements are subject to slippage, acceleration, and re-negotiation. In spite of these shortcomings, the agreements are often signs of real social and market change. TOOL Exploit New Demand Pulls for Sustainable Technology As environmental protection becomes a higher priority and as the concept of sustainable development becomes better understood and more broadly implemented, relative price changes are likely to pull technologies. Commodity prices change in response to: • • • Scarcity, (e.g. water, energy, minerals, or wood pulp); Removal of subsidies or price distortions by governments; Full-cost pricing, (e.g., time-of-use electricity rates). When commodity prices increase (particularly when the increase is rapid, as it was for oil in the 70s), a range of technologies and techniques suddenly become more financially attractive.They are“pulled”by what may previously have been an indifferent market. Many governments and utilities, particularly in North America, have recently initiated new approaches to assessing their costs, and have introduced programs to encourage the development and market penetration of new technologies.These initiatives have been of two major types: • A wide range of programs to develop and promote new technologies that improve resource efficiency and environmental protection (e.g., energy efficient building standards, appliance rating systems, least cost capacity planning, and renewable energy demonstration projects); Subsidies, rebates, and financing instruments to promote technology penetration into new markets, primarily by reducing the initial cost of these products (e.g., energy efficient lighting and appliances, and variable speed drive motors). INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR • 48 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 63: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Better information, financial incentives, and infrastructure are pulling energy saving technologies onto the market at an accelerated rate. Higher disposal costs for municipal and hazardous waste, and the use of landfill bans, have also pulled new technologies and products onto the market. Reducing the volume and toxicity of waste, and developing products made from secondary materials, have become big business opportunities. The recycling of industrial solvents, construction and demolition debris, tires, and plastics are all growing markets. The Supply Side: Finding and Assessing New Technologies The pace of technical change in environmental sectors is accelerating. Even recently developed abatement technologies can be rendered quickly obsolete by new pollution prevention and, increasingly, sustainable technologies.The ecoentrepreneur should be aware of the opportunities resulting from these changes. TOOL Technology Trees: Cherry Picking for Success In this section, we present a method for identifying the many technological possibilities, based on a sound understanding of key influences and drivers. Opportunities are placed into a framework that clarifies the possibilities, and the competition, and provides a longer-term outlook for investors. The following "trees" categorize technologies based on their ability to satisfy a particular market demand. An international agreement, such as the Climate Convention, is taken as the driver. A resulting demand is increased energy and eco-efficiency. Within the energy sector, various activities are affected. These include energy supply, conversion, transmission, and end-use. End-use functions include lighting, heating, cooling, and transportation. Looking at just one category — lighting — there are many options ranging from fluorescent to incandescent to induction. Within the fluorescent family, there are tubes, compact lamps, and circlines. A specific compact fluorescent is the Philips SL model. Although the following "technology trees" are far from comprehensive, the assessment technique is the same. By evaluating what is or will soon be in demand, the products or technologies currently on the market, and the options being pursued, entrepreneurs can assess which technology they should develop, commercialize, sell, or use. BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY 49
Slide 64: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Figure 1 The Technology Tree Classification System International Agreement — Explanation/Example One of the recently concluded international agreements and consequent national regulations as drivers of technology change e.g., Framework Convention on Climate Change Broad sectors of the economy affected by the agreements/regulations e.g., energy Activity affected within the sector e.g., energy use (end-use) Products/commodities/processes/services which will be affected or changed in order to meet sustainable development goals, regulations, targets e.g., efficient lighting Groups of related technologies required for the new products/processes e.g., fluorescent lights Types of technology within each group; a distinct technology e.g., compact fluorescent A manufacturer’s or patent holder’s specific technology e.g., Philips SL Sectors Affected — Activity Affected Product/Process Affected — — Family of Technology — Technology — Specific Technology (Brand or Patent Level) — 50 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 65: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Figure 2 Economic Sectors Affected by Selected International Agreements International Agreement 1. Framework Convention on Climate Change Sectors Affected 1.1 Energy Activity Affected 1.1.1 Energy Supply 1.1.2 Energy Conversion and Transmission 1.1.3 Energy Use 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 2. Convention on Biological Diversity 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Agriculture Chemicals Forestry Other Pharmaceutical Agriculture Forestry Energy Mining Other Forestry Agriculture Pulp & Paper Manufacturing Energy Other 4.1.1 Refrigeration, Air Conditioning 4.1.2 Foam Production 4.1.3 Industrial Solvents 4.1.4 Aerosols 4.1.5 Fire Protection 4.1.6 Other 3. Statement of Principles on Forests 4. Montreal Protocol on Ozone Depleting Substances 4.1 Chemicals 4.2 Other 5. Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 Pulp and Paper Iron and Steel Municipalities Chemicals Petroleum Refining Agriculture Other BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY 51
Slide 66: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Figure 3 Activities Affected by the Framework Convention on Climate Change Sectors Affected 1.1 Energy (CO2, CO, CH4, N20) Activity Affected Product/ Process Family of Technology Specific Affected Technology Technology 1.1.1Energy Supply 1.1.2Energy Conversion & Transmission 1.1.3Energy Use Lighting Fluorescent Compact Philips SL o o Fluorescent o o o o o Livestock Production Rice Production Biomass Burning Fertilization Soil Cultivation Deforestation Other Refrigeration Foam Production Industrial Solvents Aerosols Fire Protection Other Waste Burning Silviculture Practices Reforestation Other Refuse Disposal Cement Other 1.2 Agriculture (CO2, CO, CH4, N20) 1.3 Chemicals (CFC/HCFC) 1.4 Forestry (CO2, CO, CH4, N20, carbon fixing) 1.5 Other 52 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 67: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Figure 4 Framework Convention on Climate Change and Energy Technologies Activity Affected 1.1.1 Energy Supply Product/Process Affected Family of Technology Technology Solar Heating Water Heaters Solar Thermal Electric Power Towers Solar Electric Photovoltaic Wind Biomass Nuclear Natural Gas/Propane Geothermal Wave Ocean Thermal Other 1.1.2 Energy Thermal Electric Conversion Generation & Transmission Co-generation Tri-generation District Heating Other 1.1.3 Energy Use Electric Combustion Gasification Alcohols Fission Fusion Amorphous Silicon Polycrystalline Other Turbines Fluorescent Incandescent HID Induction Ballasts Reflectors Electric Drive Heating Cooling Building Design Internal Combustion Engine Transportation Modes Industrial Other Lighting Tube Compact Circline • • Radiowave Core & Coil Electronic Silver Aluminum BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY 53
Slide 68: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Figure 5 Framework Convention on Climate Change and Agriculture Activity Affected Livestock Production (CH4) Product/Process Affected (75%) Cattle Production Family of Technology Selective Breeding Bioengineering Diet Supplements Technology (25%) Other Livestock Rice Production (CH4) (100%) Rice Paddies Biogas Digester Selective Breeding Bioengineering Water Management Methane Inhibitors (0%) Dryland Rice Biomass Burning (CO2, CO, CH4, N2O) Crop Residues Slash and Burn Shifting Cultivation Land Clearing (Deforestation) Urea Ammonium Nitrite Ammonium Sulphate Ammonium Phosphate Nitrogen Solutions Organic Farming Practices Composting Biogas Digesters Permaculture Techniques Timber Biomass Fuels Selection of Fertilizers for Low N 20 production Nitrogen Fertilization (N2O) Planting Legumes Soil Cultivation (CO2, N2O) Chemical-based Cultivation Tillage Practices Nil/Low Tillage Organic Farming Practices Mulching Planting Legumes Organic Fertilizer 54 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 69: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Figure 6 Montreal Protocol on Ozone Depleting Substances and Alternative Chemicals/Processes Sector Affected 4.1 Chemicals (CFCs, HFCs, HCFCs, Carbon Tetrachloride, Methyl Chloroform, Halons, Methyl Bromide) Activity Affected Refrigeration, Air Conditioning (R11, R12, R113, R123) Product/Process Affected Family of Technology Technology HFC 134a HCFC 22 Air Conditioners HFCs Heat Pumps Domestic Refrigerators/ HCFCs Freezers Commercial Refrigerators/ Freezers Industrial Refrigerators/ Evaporative Cooling Freezers Absorption Cooling Dessicant Cooling Other Refrigerants Direct Indirect Lithium, BromideWater Cycle Ammonia-Water Cycle Other Lithium Chloride Silica Gel Other Ammonia Helium Other Foam Production (R12) Industrial Solvents Aerosols Fire Protection (Halons) Other Insulation Cushioning Packaging Circuit Board Production, Cleaning Spray Cans Inhalers Stationary Transportable Pesticides (Methyl Bromide) BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY 55
Slide 70: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Technologists, innovators, and researchers can use technology trees to: • • • • • • • • • • • • Identify the relationship of a technology they may be developing to the international agreements that will drive the new technologies (i.e., is there a place for their technology on one or more technology trees?); Gauge the importance of their technology to sustainable development goals (i.e., how prominent a role does the particular technology play in relation to the driver?); Identify competing technologies that occupy the same niche and compare cost and performance; Identify unmet needs for technical innovation, (i.e., empty branches). Entrepreneurs in small and medium size businesses can use technology trees to: Identify promising technologies that leapfrog over existing control strategies to incorporate pollution prevention and sustainability; Obtain an initial idea of the markets for a particular technology (i.e., by examining the upstream products, processes, activities, and sectors affected); Identify technologies competing for a particular niche and select the one with the most technical, cost, and marketing advantages. Situate a proposed technology relative to market drivers and mandated goals; Identify competing technologies and evaluate any competitive advantage; Identify various potential markets for a technology. Survey possible technology responses and identify opportunities for accelerating market penetration; Orient government activities–including industrial strategy, science and fiscal policy, research and development, environmental regulation, technology transfer, and training–toward the technology/business opportunities that promote sustainable development; Identify technologies that merit government support. Investors and financiers can use technology trees to: Policy planners can use technology trees to: • 56 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 71: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit TOOL Understand the Four Generations of Environmental Technology There are four generations of environmental technology, ranging from remediation to sustainable. Some technologies can be modified to achieve the next step along the evolutionary path. The generations illustrate the increasing sophistication of science and society in dealing with environmental problems. This tool can help entrepreneurs understand the risks and opportunities relevant to each generation. Remediation Technologies Remediation technologies treat environmental problems after they have occurred and attempt to repair or remediate the damage.They include various soil clean up methods, treatment of surface or ground water, and a variety of technologies to restore damaged or degraded landscapes (e.g., replanting tailings areas). Remediation technologies are typically very expensive and prove the old adage that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Abatement Technologies Over the past 30 years many abatement or“end-of-the-pipe”technologies have been developed to capture or treat pollutants before they escape into the environment. These technologies employ physical, chemical, or biological mechanisms to reduce emissions. Such technologies range from municipal sewage treatment systems, to catalytic converters for cars, to heavy metal treatment for the plating industry, to electrostatic precipitators and flue gas desulphurization equipment for the smoke stacks of coal-fired power plants. Generally, these technologies do not prevent or eliminate the pollutant; they merely capture or treat the waste stream before it enters the natural environment. Abatement technologies are usually capital and technology intensive, require significant amounts of energy and resources to operate, and produce a waste disposal problem of their own.Most regulatory and investment activity in the environmental field remains focused on abatement technologies. Huge industries have developed to serve these markets and billions of dollars have been spent to purchase and install abatement technologies. Enormous vested interests have slowed the transition to the next generation of technologies. BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY 57
Slide 72: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit The Four Generations of Environmental Technology Point of Application   Generation Characteristics    Examples      Remediation Technologies Symptoms Damaged Resources or Environments After the Fact Costly Range from Low Tech to High Tech Captures Or Treats Pollutants Before Release Capital, Energy and Resource Intensive Generates a Waste Stream Fairly Costly Changes Product or Process to Reduce or Prevent Pollution More Cost Effective than Abatement Reduced Waste Stream Multiple Benefits Environmental/ Economic/Social Soil Remediation Toxic Site Cleanups Water Treatment Flue Gas Desulphurization Sewage Treatment Plants Catalytic Mufflers Abatement Technologies  Pollutant Capture or Treatment at End-of-pipe      Pollution Prevention Technologies   Industrial Process Design Product Design or Composition       Chlorine-free Paper Cyanide-free Electroplating Lead-free Gasoline Closed-loop Manufacturing  Sustainable Technologies  Alternate Product or Service      Daylight-sensitive, Efficient Lighting Renewable Energy Bio-cosmetics and Drugs Organic Agriculture Pollution Prevention Technologies Pollution prevention technologies are attracting the interest of regulators,policy makers, and many parts of the private sector. Generally, there are two types of pollution prevention technologies: • Improved or alternative industrial and agricultural processes that avoid the production of pollutants. These include paper making processes that eliminate chlorine bleaching, cleaning techniques that eliminate toxic solvents, reformulated manufacturing processes that eliminate the use of heavy metals and toxic chemicals, and agricultural practices that eliminate the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers. INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR 58 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 73: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit • Alternative products whose use and disposal prevents or reduces pollution. These include phosphate-free, biodegradable detergents, lead-free gasoline, mercury-free batteries, water-based paints and adhesives, and non-toxic cleansers. Pollution prevention is being driven by environmental regulation (particularly the new focus on performance rather than prescription), and by the pressures of economics, consumer awareness, and the need to modernize industry. Industrial pollution is often caused by outdated and inefficient technologies that are material and energy intensive and produce unwanted by-products. Improving and replacing these technologies with more eco-efficient processes generally reduces input costs, streamlines production, eliminates or reduces waste streams, and saves money, at least over the long-term. On the consumer side, green products help fulfill the growing demand for an environmentally friendly lifestyle. When first introduced, green products are frequently priced somewhat higher than their conventional equivalents, but market acceptance and economies of scale often eliminate the price differential. Rising waste disposal costs, especially for hazardous substances, and proposed fiscal reforms, to favour environmentally superior products and tax unwanted pollutants, will increase the economic appeal of green products. Sustainable Technologies Because of the need to achieve a combination of environmental, economic, and social objectives, the transition to sustainable technologies is becoming imperative, not just for environmental sectors, but for all businesses. The characteristics of these technologies are important enough to warrant their own tool, below. TOOL Understand Sustainable Technologies Sustainable technologies, and the products and services they provide, are good solutions because they produce a number of benefits simultaneously. They reduce the need for the environment/economy tradeoffs that characterize remediation and abatement approaches–principally by capturing the economic advantages of energy and resource efficiency. Current examples of sustainable or near-sustainable technologies and products include: • • • Daylight-sensitive, efficient lighting products, free of toxics and heavy metals; Wood and wood products grown, harvested,and manufactured sustainably; Non-bleached, recycled paper with high post-consumer fibre content; BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY 59
Slide 74: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit • • • • • Cosmetics and pharmaceuticals made from plant extracts; Renewable energy technologies that are cost-effective, cause minimal pollution, and offer sustained yield; Heating/cooling technologies that are efficient, low in emissions, based on renewable energy, and not reliant on CFCs; Organically produced agricultural products; Bicycles. Characteristics of Sustainable Technologies Low Environmental Impact    Very low or benign emissions to the environment in production, use, disposal No toxic releases Benefits environment indirectly through its use and/or inherent efficiency Efficient utilization of material resources, often using recycled material Based on renewable resources and energy (or minimal use of non-renewable resources) Efficient consumption of energy in production and use Durable, reusable and/or recyclable Economically cost effective compared to conventional product or service Incorporate externalities in market price Can be financed by the user through various financial saving streams Improve productivity or competitiveness of industry and commerce Enhance or maintain living standards or quality of life Readily available and accessible by all classes and cultures Consistent with themes of decentralization, individual control and democracy Resource Efficiency     Economic Advantages     Social Advantages    Because the concept of sustainable technologies is in its early stages, the tool should be considered “Mark 1”: it gives new directions, not final answers. It should be used to spark new ideas and stretch the imaginations of those developing processes and products. The concept of “never-ending improvement”is relevant. 60 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 75: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit TOOL Add Sustainable Attributes to Existing Technologies There are many existing technologies, products, and services to which the attributes of sustainability can be added. A product can be made more sustainable by making it more resource efficient, or more renewable. The product might be made from recycled material,or at least made to be long-lived and recyclable. It might be possible to reduce the toxicity of materials or byproducts.There may be ways to improve economic benefits from the product, or make it self-financing through creative marketing schemes. There are a number of ways that products and technologies can be improved to become more sustainable and more responsive to regulatory drivers and market forces. An example is DEJA Inc., which makes shoes out of recycled tires, milk jugs, fabrics and coffee filters.The shoes are assembled with water-based adhesives and coloured with non-toxic dyes. (See pages 108-109 for more information.) TOOL Convert Defense Technologies As the military-industrial complex ponders its future in the post-Cold War period, it is discovering green applications for a number of military technologies. The entrepreneur should be aware of the value of “defense” technology: its high development costs have been borne by the military, through taxpayers. The additional cost of conversion to civilian environmental applications is often quite reasonable. The combination of high tech and low marginal cost can rapidly drive the technology into new markets. Entrepreneurs may want to explore opportunities with defense industry suppliers and related laboratories. One technology to be successfully converted was developed by General Electric to detect diesel smoke from submarines up to 100 miles away. A group of GE engineers obtained the license from GE,and now use the technology in devices that monitor air pollution.In the early 1990s, their company, Environment One, had annual sales of $12 million. Satellite technologies are increasingly being used to track deforestation, soil erosion, and land use patterns. Propulsion systems are being converted for electric vehicles and public transit networks. TOOL Watch for the Impact of Technology Leaps or Breakthroughs Environmental technologies, like others, often reach a plateau in their development cycle, remaining stuck at a certain performance or cost level that constrains their ability to penetrate the market. The technical performance — energy efficiency, energy output, pollutant capture, etc. — may be low, rendering the technology uncompetitive in the market. Alternatively, production costs may be too high, despite good performance. But a breakthrough, whatever the cause, can suddenly make the technology BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY 61
Slide 76: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit competitive and profitable. Successful entrepreneurs position themselves to take advantage of these breakthroughs. The most obvious example of this phenomenon is the electronics industry, where ongoing research and development has led to dramatic improvements in performance/cost ratios. Electronic thermostats, vehicle controls and wattage reducers are some of the new products that have been developed. Entrepreneurs should be aware of intensive technical work being done in areas relevant to their interests. An excellent example in the environmental field is the increasing efficiency (i.e., power output) and decreasing cost of photovoltaic cells. Once cost-effective only in satellites and solar calculators, photovoltaic cells are now competitive in many remote power situations and, with further development, may be competitive with grid power. TOOL Opportunity Assessment: A Checklist Entrepreneurs weighing opportunities for investing in sustainable technologies will want to assess and screen a number of options. While it is not possible to offer criteria that are, at the same time, all-purpose and highly specific, the following set of qualitative criteria can be used by a broad range of ecoentrepreneurs. See “Directories”, pages 136-149, for Technology Assistance Organizations. 62 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 77: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Checklist for Assessing Technology Opportunities Group Importance Criterion Relative Environmental and Resource Impact  Questions/Issues What is the relative environmental or resource impact of this technology compared to current practice? Is the saving or benefit large compared to the base technology? How critical is this technology to achieving targets? Does it have significant competing technologies? Is it a major player? Which generation is the technology? (see the Tool “Understanding the Four Generations of Environmental Technology”) How close is the technology to commercialization? Can it be brought to market in 1 year, 3 years, 5 years, 10 years or more? What does this pace depend on; money, knowledge, other factors? If the technology is already in a particular market, how long to transfer to a new one? Can this technology be developed by a small or medium sized business? Is it capital intensive? Is it knowledge intensive? What is the scale of the production facility required? Is the technology cost-effective relative to current products/processes? If not, how close is it? Does it rely on legislation, subsidy or other external factors to make it competitive? What is the likely size of target markets? What market share can it capture? Based on what attributes? Can it be marketed effectively overseas? What are the major barriers or requirements for achieving market penetration? Are they likely to be overcome? In whose control are they?  Importance to Sustainable Development Goals    State of Technology Phase of Development   Timing of Development    Scale of Technology Suitability to Small or Medium Sized Enterprises     Market Cost-effectiveness    Market Size    Market Barriers    BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY 63
Slide 78: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Case Study: Halozone Technologies Inc. Halozone Technologies Inc. 4000 Nashua Drive Mississauga, ON L4V 1P8 Tel: (905) 405-8200 Fax: (905) 405-8333 Contact: Dusanka Filipovic, Deputy Chairman Product/Technology: • • • • Recovery and Reclamation of Refrigerants On-Site Recovery and Reclamation of Halogenated Hydrocarbons Thermco Terminator Recovery of refrigerant from small volume applications such as household refrigeration and residential and automotive air conditioners. In larger applications, the system is used in conjunction with existing equipment to recover residual refrigerants. Reclamation of refrigerants to ARI-700-93 specifications is performed at the Halozone Reclamation Facility. On-site recovery and reclamation of: – – CFCs used as solvents and cleaning agents methyl bromide when used as an agricultural produce fumigant Applications • • Thermco Terminator is an internal secondary condenser applied to the liquid refrigerant lines of large scale refrigeration and air-conditioning systems. It improves the thermodynamic efficiency of large refrigeration systems, leading to reduced refrigerant use, improved energy efficiency, lower maintenance costs, and fewer leaks. Commercial scale production is now in place. The Halozone Reclamation Facility has received the necessary Certificate of Approval from the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Energy. A full line of products has been developed taking advantage of the Halozone Blue Bottle® technology. On-Site Units are being commercially demonstrated. The Terminator is in commercial production and is in service in four countries with over 5,000 units installed. One of the biggest customers in Canada is Loblaw Companies, Ltd., the grocery store chain. Some 50 stores have purchased 100 Terminators each to help slash air-conditioning and instore refrigeration costs. INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR Status • • • 64 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 79: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Product/Technology Profile • The use of adsorption and zeolite filters in Halozone Recycling Incorporated's patent-protected (proprietary) Blue Bottle® technology is helping the refrigeration and air conditioning industry meet Montreal Protocol targets and local government regulations. The key to the Blue Bottle technology is a synthetic zeolite (Halozite™) which selectively adsorbs halogenated hydrocarbons. Halozone's Blue Bottle system eliminates virtually all emissions of refrigerant in a wide variety of processes including routine purging of low pressure centrifugal chillers and during service and decommissioning of air conditioning and refrigeration equipment. Adsorption is a phenomenon where molecules concentrate on a solid surface without any chemical change. Adsorption takes place due to unsatisfied forces in a surface that attract and hold the molecules on the surface. The Halozite inside the Blue Bottle cylinder acts as a selective molecular sieve, and therefore only refrigerant is captured. No other compounds adhere to the Halozite. Refrigerant gases are captured at ambient temperatures, and the capture occurs under atmospheric pressure; that important feature eliminates the need for special, pressurized transportation vehicles and licensing. Once a Blue Bottle cylinder has been charged with refrigerant, it is sent to Halozone's central reclamation facility outside of Toronto, where the captured refrigerant is reclaimed without chemical breakdown. These reclaimed refrigerants are returned to industry standard specifications (ARI-700-93) before being transferred to certified storage containers. The Halozite adsorbent is regenerated and the Blue Bottle cylinders are sent back out to the field for reuse. By reclaiming CFCs, Halozone's technology allows users to operate their refrigeration and air conditioning equipment until the end of its useful life, thus deferring the expense of conversion to alternative chemicals or cooling processes. • On-site applications are turn-key recovery systems that effectively capture, recover and reprocess dilute emissions in industrial settings. In some cases, the end product is returned directly to the industrial process without further purification. These industrial uses of halogenated hydrocarbons include CFCs used as solvents and cleaners, the fumigation gas — methyl bromide, and the fire retardant — halon. The Thermco Terminator technology can improve the efficiency of the condenser and evaporator in certain commercial refrigeration systems, permitting lower energy consumption by the compressor motor. Integrating the Terminator technology in a refrigeration system can lower BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN • SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY 65
Slide 80: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit the operating pressure and reduce the amount of refrigerant needed by up to 40 percent.The excess refrigerant can then be reclaimed and either sold or stored for future use. Company Profile Halozone Technologies Inc.is a public company on the Toronto Stock Exchange traded under the symbol "HLZ." The Blue Bottle technology is licensed exclusively to Halozone by Praxair (formerly the Linde Division of Union Carbide Canada Inc.). Halozone's Deputy Chairman,Dusanka Filipovic, P.Eng., was the Linde Division's manager of new business development and is the coinventor of the Blue Bottle technology, developed between 1986 and 1990. In 1991 Filipovic left Linde to found Halozone. Halozone has three distinct marketing and sales divisions: • • • The Refrigerant Division whose mandate is to capture, reclaim and sell refrigerants, The On-Site Division, whose products are on-site, turn-key recovery systems, and The Thermco Canada Division, offering technologies such as the Terminator. These technologies improve operating efficiencies where refrigeration costs are a significant percentage of total energy costs and the refrigeration units are under heavy load and in continuous use. This operating environment is commonly found in the food processing, retail and warehousing sectors. The Blue Bottle technology was developed by the Linde Division of Union Carbide (now Praxair Canada Inc.). Union Carbide does not manufacture or market CFC products, nor is it involved in the recycling sector. The company decided to license the technology in order to commercialize it rapidly. As co-inventor and a Union Carbide executive, Ms. Filipovic was the obvious choice as licensee. The main component, Halozite, is a patented modification of the adsorbent zeolite. Full scale, commercial, on-site recovery units have been designed and developed with the assistance of M&W, a U.S. engineering firm. In 1989, Thermco entered into a partnership with the patent holder and inventor, Jerry Nivens of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico.The inventor has remained involved with Thermco and is assisting in continued product development. Source of Technology • • • 66 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 81: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Development • The full scale, commercial reclamation facility in Mississauga, Ontario, became fully certified and operational in 1994. Additional Blue Bottle technology applications are being developed that are effective and easy to use by refrigeration and air conditioning service technicians and contractors. Development of on-site units continues to address different customer needs. Thermco has recently developed a new, patent-pending technology called the Fluid Thermal Loop. The technology allows inexpensive glycol to replace CFC-based gases in large refrigeration units. An innovative heat exchange process eliminates the need for traditional roof top condensers while providing free hot water and heating to customers. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency tests have certified that the Blue Bottle technology exceeds standards for small volume applications. A scientific evaluation was conducted by ORTECH International Inc., following which Dusanka Filipovic won two engineering awards. The Halozone Reclamation Facility meets required ARI-700-93 specifications for reclaimed refrigerant. The first commercial demonstration of the methyl bromide on-site unit was conducted in cooperation with Stemilt Growers, a major U.S. fruit exporter that uses 10,000 to 20,000 pounds of methyl bromide each year, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The on-site unit removed 95 percent of the airborne methyl bromide fumigant with a recovery efficiency of close to 100 percent. Subsequent USDA and Stemilt analysis of the methyl bromide recondensed by the on-site system revealed virgin purity levels. The benefits of installing the Terminator technology include reduced energy costs of up to 22 percent, and reduced refrigerant use of up to 30 percent in existing units and up to 40 percent in new facilities designed to use the technology. Performance tests were conducted by H.H.Angus & Associates and the Canadian National Research Council. • • Performance • • • Financing Strategy Halozone is financed by public and private capital investment and government grants. Equity funding of approximately $13.5 million has been raised, and the Ontario Government, Ministry of Environment and Energy, is contributing $900,000 in grants over three years. In addition, Halozone is receiving $2.5 BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY 67
Slide 82: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit million from Canada's Environmental Technologies Commercialization Program, part of the Green Plan. Halozone's strategy is to proceed with commercialization, sub-licensing, royalties and joint venture partnerships. Marketing Strategy Marketing is local and global, and is largely fueled by refrigerant and methyl bromide regulations. In addition to the products, services and programs mentioned previously, Halozone will install scaled-up or scaled-down versions of its Toronto reclamation facility — along with accompanying products and services — in other geographic locations. Thermco continues to pursue a "pay-back" strategy in selling its Terminator technology. The overall package is designed to either reduce long-term costs or generate revenue for the client, and to allow for self-financed conversion to CFC alternatives. This is made possible by Thermco's Refrigerant Banking System. Excess refrigerant, fully recovered with the Blue Bottle, may either be banked for later use by the client or continually sold and recycled in domestic and international markets with the client receiving dividend payments, almost as a shareholder. Client savings, or revenue streams, are expected to rise as CFC production is phased out internationally and the price of CFC refrigerants continues to increase. Halozone Technologies Inc. has developed and commercialized a family of complementary products and services designed to recover, recycle, and reduce the use of ozone damaging chemicals. Sales packages, tailored to the needs of the specific end customer, may incorporate one or more of the technologies and services offered by the company. Total system recovery of liquid and gaseous CFCs, halons, and methyl bromide is available on-site to capture dilute emissions, or to provide an alternative to venting during system repairs, retrofits, and conversions. The reclamation facility brings recycled refrigerants up to industry standards and regenerates the capture equipment. The Terminator and other Thermco technologies reduce the use of CFC refrigerants, while simultaneously trimming energy and maintenance costs. As CFC emission regulations continue to become more restrictive in Canada and internationally, Halozone's Blue Bottle technology, On-Site recovery units, and Thermco Division technologies are well positioned to assist numerous business sectors to comply with the Montreal Protocol. Key Lessons Learned • A changing, but predictable, regulatory environment provides an opportunity to offer new technologies as they are required. 68 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 83: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit • • • • Establishing a small company with proprietary, environmentally sound technology can lead to rapid technical and business development. Partial government financing at a crucial stage can help significantly and act as an endorsement of the product and company. When introducing new environmentally sound technologies into a mature industry, partners and third-party endorsements are useful in overcoming entrenched attitudes. Acquisition can be an effective means of expanding and complementing existing technology, products, and customer sets. BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY 69
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Slide 85: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Raising Money for Sustainable Enterprises RAISING MONEY FOR SUSTAINABLE ENTERPRISES 71
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Slide 87: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit T he EarthEnterprise™ Project’s Sustainable Capital stream is designed to help entrepreneurs obtain investment and financing for their companies. This section of the Tool Kit advises entrepreneurs on improving their capacity to seek capital. Second, it informs entrepreneurs about a number of key sources well disposed toward investing in green and sustainable enterprises. It assumes the reader has some experience in business finance and, if not, will seek basic resource materials and qualified financial advisors. Businesses the world over are built on the pillars of human ingenuity, hard work, demand for products and services, and money. The growth of sustainable enterprises in Canada, the United States, Mexico and elsewhere requires an infusion of finance and investment — debt and equity. However, because the concept of sustainable enterprise is relatively new and innovative, securing the necessary funding from conservative capital markets is frequently a challenge. The relative unpredictability of environmental business sectors has led North American lenders and investors to focus on risk and liability avoidance. Although some investors have recently added positive environmental or social screens to their evaluations, these organizations and individuals are primarily in the secondary or stock markets, and are not particularly relevant for investing in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Environmentally sustainable enterprises must also improve their financial performance if sufficient new capital is to be attracted to the market. Sustainability adds value in terms of the economic, environmental and social objectives of communities and nations. This thinking translates the concept of sustainability into language that the average businessperson comprehends and works with every day. The business that does not add value to a product or service will be forced to leave the market place, especially in today’s increasingly competitive global economy. Taking a proactive view of the environment makes it possible to envision how productive activity not only protects or maintains the world’s natural resources, but actually improves the quality and quantity of scarce resources for future generations. The Business Council for Sustainable Development (BCSD) calls eco-efficiency a requirement of sustainable business. Eco-efficient activities bring lower costs and economic gain, which is attractive to capital markets. Companies becoming eco-efficient, as well as those supplying the technology, goods,and services that enable the transition, will benefit. Some investors are beginning to recognize that non-sustainable practices affect performance. New York City Comptroller Elizabeth Holtzman, declared that: RAISING MONEY FOR SUSTAINABLE ENTERPRISES 73
Slide 88: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit As the emerging owner of corporate America, with a financial and future stake in corporate activity, pension funds have an obligation to speak up. Poor management decisions, sloppy stewardship of natural resources, inattention to the consequences of wasteful and hazardous production practices, can shrink the present return on our investments, and — a more sobering prospect — diminish our world. New York City public workers’ pension funds are already invested in a few environmentally sensitive companies, including 47 small enterprises that have demonstrated their ability to operate sustainably. Sustainable enterprises offer new opportunities through which investors and entrepreneurs can find common ground, at least after undergoing a transition process. For investors, the transition will involve developing a long-term investment orientation and strategy and an appreciation of opportunities in sustainable companies and markets. Entrepreneurs will have to develop commercially attractive, sustainable enterprise opportunities and offerings and know how to gain access to investors disposed to this type of market. The Unique Features of Sustainable Investment Sustainable investment is a new concept, basically an innovative way of reconciling environmental preservation and social responsibility with economic activity and then adding value to all. It is not radical, but conserving; not unrealistic, but profoundly practical. Sustainable investment is a sophisticated way of shifting capital to companies (particularly SMEs) that are smart enough to position themselves to create and take advantage of opportunities arising from the new economic paradigm. Sustainable investment is the same as traditional investment in that: • It is placed in companies that do the fundamentals well. Growth projections are based on sound management and business principles. Business plans and investment offerings have all the t’s crossed and all the i’s dotted. Have identified and developed emerging markets for their products and services; Devise and market technologies (hard and soft) that meet pressing environmental, social and economic needs; Use every environmental efficiency that is economically viable. Sustainable investment is placed in SMEs that: • • • 74 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 89: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Sustainable investment is different from traditional investment in that: • Money will come first from investors who share an understanding of the new economic paradigm of sustainability. As the sector shows the ability to generate competitive returns, more investors will be attracted to sustainable enterprises. The challenge for sustainable entrepreneurs is to appreciate the distinct features of sustainable investment and understand what they mean to business planning and efforts to attract capital. TOOL Get the Fundamentals Right to Approach Capital Markets Because of their limited internal resources and size, and as a result of the capital market’s bias in favour of large companies and investments, SMEs, including those that are sustainable, are in a weak position when seeking financing and investment. Sustainable entrepreneurs have to be prepared to change the way they plan and carry on business, and how they seek capital.They have to go to the investment “mountain”, and not expect it to come to them. Checklist • Ensure that the return/risk ratio (as judged by possible investors) is competitive with other potential investments. Sustainable entrepreneurs cannot expect concessional or “soft”consideration by lenders and investors. Thoroughly examine the target markets and ensure that there is adequate, genuine demand for the product. Technologies, goods and services do not create markets. Sustainable entrepreneurs need to be more adept than others at responding to and planning for market demand. At times, new or growing sustainable enterprises can shape or increase the size of a market, but it is folly to attempt to make a business fly in the absence of existing demand. Devote the time, money, and enthusiasm needed to educate potential investors and capital markets about the emerging opportunities for environmentally sustainable enterprises in North America and globally. Do a first-rate business plan and offering. The challenge of seeking capital for sustainable SMEs requires that business planning and investment offerings are virtually perfect in form, content and presentation. While the need is technical in part, it may also raise questions about the very products or services the company intends to produce, and the markets it has identified. In other words, if the sustainable entrepreneur cannot successfully present a first-class offering to capital markets, he or she may RAISING MONEY FOR • • SUSTAINABLE ENTERPRISES 75
Slide 90: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit need to question whether the intended product or service is a winner. Any professional skill brought to bear on the task can be considered money well spent. • Target your sources of financing and investment. As an entrepreneur, you should know which sources of financing and investment are more disposed to venturing into environmentally and socially sustainable markets. Put them on the “A”list. Entrepreneurs are often at a loss to know where these sources are, and which ones are warmly disposed to the products and services their company produces, and/or the markets they are pursuing. This information is vitally important and difficult to obtain, and is presented in the “Directories”on pages 150-170. TOOL Jump Over Perception Barriers If lenders, investors, and sustainable entrepreneurs are to do business together, they must have a shared perception about each others’interests and practices. Most environmental companies seem to know little about the investment community. Some aren’t aware of the difference between debt and equity and, in the case of debt, fail to understand that banks and other lenders are risk averse and will not lend unless fully secured. An Investor Financial institutions are not the favorite organizations for the SME. Many companies have horror stories about unsympathetic and arbitrary loan managers, staff changes, credit lines slashed or pulled, loans called, and intentions misunderstood. An Environmental Entrepreneur Investors seem to believe that sustainable or environmental entrepreneurs: • • • • • • Lack knowledge about the realities of capital markets; Use financing and investment rationales that emphasize societal or emotional appeals rather than straight business thinking; Do not understand the investor’s interests, especially with respect to protecting the investment. Are completely uninterested in sharing risk or being partners in their enterprises; Lack appreciation for emerging markets; Don’t take the time to listen. On the other hand, entrepreneurs believe investors: 76 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 91: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit These perceptions by both sides, whether or not they are compatible with reality, are an obstacle to placing and obtaining capital. Leaping perceptual barriers requires an appreciation of investor interests. This enables the entrepreneur to markedly improve any presentations made to capital markets and enhances the likelihood of success. TOOL Business Planning for Sustainable Enterprises While much of the advice in this section is applicable to all businesses, the innovative nature of sustainable enterprises makes paying attention to the basics even more important. An integrated financial strategy and product/service commercialization targets are required business planning. Among the “musts”are: • • • • • • • • • A clear, tightly written statement of purpose; A well-defined sense of where the company should be in one, two and five years; Defining features of the business; A thorough description of the market, including necessary market research and analysis.This will also involve an evaluation of competitors in the same and related markets; Details of the production, distribution and sales systems; Development plans for a management team which fills all the roles needed to convert the business opportunity identified into a commercial success; Precise costing and pricing, including source costing, internal budgeting and pricing for the market place; Detailed cash flow and financial projections over a three- to five-year period; A description of planned financing vehicles and the structure of the investment offering. The entrepreneur will also need to attract various advisors (board members and experts) and enter into a range of agreements with individuals and other organizations (e.g., suppliers, sales agents, brokers etc.) that round out the firm’s capacity to seek capital and achieve the enterprise’s business plan. The sustainable enterprise that does not adhere to the tried and true rules of business planning will find it nearly impossible to obtain funds from capital markets. RAISING MONEY FOR SUSTAINABLE ENTERPRISES 77
Slide 92: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Some of the business planning aspects unique to sustainable enterprises are addressed in the following sections on Markets, Technology and Operations. Markets Markets for sustainable enterprises (environmental and otherwise) are relatively new and, in many cases, nascent. Many are also global. To reassure the investor that markets for the products/services exist or can be developed successfully, entrepreneurs should: • • • Be able to describe and document existing markets for their products/services and how these markets will grow in the future. Trend projections are very important. Explain how they will enter the global market place (perhaps through targeted markets) to create economies of scale. This may involve alliances and joint ventures with other firms. Incorporate into their business plans marketing activities that will nurture the market and help it grow. Technology The environmental problems that confront the world, from climate change to toxic waste to ozone depletion, are sometimes directly addressed by technological solutions offered by sustainable enterprises. This fact must be communicated to investors. Capital markets are generally not well informed about the scale of environmental degradation and such drivers as global environmental agreements. (See the Business Opportunities in Sustainable Technology chapter.) The economic benefits of technologies such as wind turbines, which are rapidly becoming more competitive, are not well known to investors. Sustainable entrepreneurs should: • • • Clearly link their technologies and the market potential for their products or services to existing environmental problems and note these relationships in their business plans.The technology trees, on pages 50-55 can help; Quantify the environmental and cost savings their technologies can offer customers; Identify the ways their technologies reduce environmental liability and create a cleaner environmental profile for their customers. The sustainable entrepreneur will find technology a powerful card to play when seeking investment. It has two potentially strong suits: • When the technology’s key selling feature is cost savings, the investor readily understands and appreciates the potential demand and return; 78 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 93: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit • When there is an opportunity to finance “first on the street”technology, the investor may appreciate getting first dibs. Operations The sustainable enterprise respects the environment by minimizing energy and materials use and by reducing waste generation. These practices reduce the firm’s operating costs and liability exposure. Sustainable entrepreneurs should emphasize these advantages in their business plans by: • • • Highlighting the cost reductions, in budgets and cash flow, that are achieved by employing responsible environmental practices; Noting practices that will insulate the company against future cost increases (e.g., waste disposal levies or oil prices); Explaining that liability risks are reduced by responsible environmental practices. The nub of the message is that sustainable entrepreneurs can place themselves in a stronger position to raise capital by ensuring that their business plans highlight and incorporate the emerging markets from which the business will profit, the technological solutions the company offers to environmental problems, and the sustainable manner in which the company operates. TOOL Tips on Preparing the Investment Offering Much of the advice here applies to all SMEs seeking capital. It is included because of the importance of preparing a good investment “offering”. The offering is the final piece the SME puts before investors. Many entrepreneurs do not appreciate the relative complexity of even a basic offering. A well thought out and structured offering reassures potential lenders and investors that the SME knows what it is doing and understands the interests of capital markets. By far the largest proportion of SME offerings are private placements. In this field, investment bankers, small business fund managers, venture capitalists, socially responsible investors and high net worth individuals known as “angels”, are the most important. (The interests of other types of investors will be addressed later.) There are certain essential elements in any investment offering. It must be consistent with the SME’s business planning, notably its financial (including cash flow and return) projections.The business plan is the foundation on which RAISING MONEY FOR SUSTAINABLE ENTERPRISES 79
Slide 94: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit the investment offering is built. Some companies choose to include it in their offerings. The investment offering should be structured to keep open the possibility of participation by a wide range of investors and lenders. Cast the net wide to see what you can catch, but at the same time go fishing in specific ponds. Investment offerings are often written principally for investors but should cater to both lending and investment sources. Covering both debt and equity sources builds an ideal financial base for pursuing business objectives. The offering should involve various instruments, including senior debt, subordinated debentures, preferred stock and common stock. (Refer to a business finance text or other resource book for information about these instruments.) Each has different properties, making it necessary to select carefully to ensure the instrument matches the financial and operating requirements of the enterprise. The offering should also be flexible, and the entrepreneur should be prepared to negotiate with potential lenders and investors. The offering should be strong on fundamental economic issues such as: a reasonable rate of return, tax considerations, liquidity or exit provisions, controlling company interests and risk minimization. TOOL Identify Potential Investors and Types of Financing The following list of North American investment and financing sources is by no means exhaustive. It includes a key group of investors and lenders interested in placing funds in environmental enterprises, who may also have an interest in sustainability. The suggestions are doors into the world of investors and lenders: a world that is often intimidating and threatening to the SME unfamiliar with capital markets. In certain cases, the company identified is not the direct source of funds, but is a broker or intermediary active in the private placement market for environmental enterprises. The list of government sources has been kept to a minimum because there are other directories that describe them. Financing comes in many different forms. SMEs must decide which type is desired and then approach the appropriate source. Financing instruments to consider include working capital, leasing,project financing, long and short term debt financing, and equity financing. The sources listed at the end of this section provide these types of financing. As entrepreneurs are well aware, there are a number of different types of investors. They include commercial banks such as Bankers Trust, leasing companies like Bank of Boston, mutual and other funds such as the Crocus 80 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 95: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Investment Fund, socially responsible investors like the Calvert Group, investment bankers such as ScotiaMcLeod,and export financiers like the Export Development Corporation. Venture capitalists, strategic investors that use their own corporate equity to invest in other companies, community loan funds and government investment agencies, such as the Federal Business Development Bank, are also sources to consider. Each type of investor has different interests. Some focus on debt instruments and others on equity. Their requirements for guarantees or security vary, as do the rates of return they seek, their degree of involvement in the companies in which they invest, and how they realize their return. It is preferable for an enterprise seeking capital to receive it from a number of different sources. This allows a match between debt and equity raised and business requirements, and generally increases the likelihood of meeting financing targets. While banks and other sources of debt financing will undoubtedly be important, certain sources of equity financing are absolutely crucial to successfully capitalizing a SME. Venture capitalists are often criticized as being tough on SMEs, but their risk or venture orientation makes them desirable sources of investment. Venture capitalists look for growth-oriented companies and often provide sorely needed financial leadership to young firms. High net-worth individuals (“angels”) are good sources, especially for early stage financing. In North America, angels are becoming more common, particularly as the older third of the population enjoys a higher level of affluence. SMEs should approach these individuals through accountants, lawyers, investment advisors, and other professionals. Angels tend to invest in their own communities or areas of expertise and can add greatly to a firm’s management capacity. Investment bankers manage their own equity or the funds of others, and often have a strategic interest or area of specialty. They also bring enterprises to capital markets for additional investment. General and mutual funds seldom invest in SMEs. They tend to stick to secondary markets — stocks and bonds. Some fund managers, however, do focus on small and/or sustainable businesses.Socially responsible investors also tend to stay in secondary capital markets but sometimes create specific funds for SMEs. These funds are usually included in an internal portfolio or directed by an independent manager. Strategic investors are a largely unknown source of capital for SMEs. Certain larger (and some mid-sized) companies invest their equity in SMEs in order to RAISING MONEY FOR SUSTAINABLE ENTERPRISES 81
Slide 96: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit access new technology or research and development projects. Others do so to integrate their companies horizontally or vertically. TOOL Engage a Financial Advisor As noted earlier, the SME should integrate the investment offering directly into overall strategic efforts and business planning. Most entrepreneurs do not do this, however, because their area of expertise is generally in research and development, marketing, or production, rather than in finance. Because the inhouse (or board member) financial advisor is rare, the SME is wise to seek the assistance of an outside expert. Financial advisors can lead the company’s financial strategy and integrate the structuring of investment offerings into business planning. Financial advisors are both strategists and doers. They are part of the senior management and strategy team, and can present the business plan and offering to potential investors. The best place to find a financial advisor is through investment bankers and venture capitalists, who often provide advisory services. See “Directories”, pages 150-170, for Sources of Capital. 82 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 97: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit ADOPTING NEW BUSINESS PRACTICES AND RELATIONSHIPS ADOPTING NEW BUSINESS PRACTICES AND RELATIONSHIPS 83
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Slide 99: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit usinesses committed to promoting and profiting from the transition to sustainable development often have a longer time horizon and a broader set of goals than traditional companies. Typically, they are unsatisfied with the status quo and want to operate in a socially responsible manner, as well as protect and enhance the integrity of complex ecosystems.They value the wellbeing of employees, societies, traditional cultures and future generations.They cannot afford to ignore short-term cash flow, but their own definition of success is more sophisticated and includes a range of long-term objectives. B Often, founders of these companies have a well-articulated set of goals and principles that guide the business and help to instill the same values and objectives in employees. By declaring their goals publicly they may inspire trust, create a model for their industries, and provide a benchmark by which actual achievement can be measured. Smaller companies, which are often at a disadvantage when recruiting employees, can attract creative and talented staff by offering workplaces that are more participatory, have greater sensitivity to work and family issues, share more of the wealth, offer more fun, and encourage more trust between management and employees. This broader vision of success requires new business tools, practices and relationships.Changing the world does not happen in isolation and the number of organizations willing to help may come as a surprise. Being receptive to new ideas and suggestions opens the door to an array of opportunities that would otherwise pass you by. North America is in the midst of profound social change. Looking out strictly for number one, shopping until you drop, and dominating the natural world are no longer viewed as worthy aspirations by many members of society. A large share of the workforce complains of burnout and lack of job satisfaction. Protecting the planet, promoting the health and well-being of employees and communities,and enjoying some good natured fun together enables companies to bring meaning and gratification back to the workplace. This section of the Tool Kit is designed to provide you with the means to prosper during the ’90s — “the decency decade”. The current focus on environment, empowerment, education, enjoyment and ethics is not likely to be a passing fad. People are finally waking up to the need for workplaces that protect our environment, our social well-being, and our future. Internal Consistency Ensuring that the values of sustainable development permeate throughout the company, from CEO to purchasing agent to distribution and marketing usually starts at the CEO’s office.The best intentions are meaningless, however, if they reside in the head of only one individual in the company. Forming or changing ADOPTING NEW BUSINESS PRACTICES AND RELATIONSHIPS 85
Slide 100: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit a company’s culture and outlook requires contributions and efforts from everyone, working as a team. TOOL Prepare a Mission Statement A mission statement is a clearly articulated declaration of the goals, principles and operating procedures of a company. It will vary from one company to the next, depending on the nature of the enterprise, and can be instrumental in charting a company’s course. Best issued from a firmly committed CEO, the mission statement should be distributed to all employees and stressed repeatedly. If employees know that performance will be measured against the stated goals, and are given the resources to achieve them, the mission statement will be taken seriously. The CERES Principles, issued by the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies, are a good source of ideas for your mission statement. Drafted by a coalition of socially responsible companies, investment firms, and environmental groups, the principles offer guidance and a set of high standards against which companies can measure themselves. The ten principles commit companies to protecting the earth, using energy and resources wisely and sustainably, minimizing waste, and selling safe products and services. Signatories back up their commitment by pledging to reduce risk, disclose hazards and compensate for damages.They also agree to provide highlevel management support for environmental activities and to gather and disseminate information about their environmental performance, both internally and externally. Although stringent, the principles have been adopted by 80 companies in industries ranging from finance to footwear. In February 1993, the Philadelphia-based Sun Company, the twelfth largest U.S. oil business,became the first Fortune 500 company to sign the principles. Four additional Fortune 500 companies had signed on as of September 1994. They are H.B. Fuller, General Motors, Arizona Public Service, and Polaroid. Many small firms have also decided to adhere to the principles. Evaluating the mission statements and business practices adopted by the leading firms in your own or similar industries is another way to gain perspective on your objectives. Innovative companies are often happy to share their mission statements. Many of these firms hope that they will be able to persuade entire industries to embrace and adopt their goals. 86 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 101: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit The CERES Principles (Formerly the Valdez Principles) Introduction By adopting these Principles, we publicly affirm our belief that corporations have a responsibility for the environment, and must conduct all aspects of their business as responsible stewards of the environment by operating in a manner that protects the Earth. We believe that corporations must not compromise the ability of future generations to sustain themselves. We will update our practices constantly in light of advances in technology and new understandings in health and environmental science. In collaboration with CERES, we will promote a dynamic process to ensure that the Principles are interpreted in a way that accommodates changing technologies and environmental realities. We intend to make consistent, measurable progress in implementing these Principles and to apply them to all aspects of our operations throughout the world. Protection of the Biosphere We will reduce and make continual progress toward eliminating the release of any substance that may cause environmental damage to the air, water, or the earth or its inhabitants. We will safeguard all habitats affected by our operations and will protect open spaces and wilderness, while preserving biodiversity. Sustainable Use of Natural Resources We will make sustainable use of renewable natural resources, such as water, soils and forests. We will conserve nonrenewable natural resources through efficient use and careful planning. Reduction and Disposal of Wastes We will reduce and where possible eliminate waste through source reduction and recycling. All waste will be handled and disposed of through safe and responsible methods. Energy Conservation We will conserve energy and improve the energy efficiency of our internal operations and of the goods and services we sell. We will make every effort to use environmentally safe and sustainable energy sources. Risk Reduction We will strive to minimize the environmental, health and safety risks to our employees and the communities in which we operate through safe ADOPTING NEW BUSINESS PRACTICES AND RELATIONSHIPS 87
Slide 102: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit technologies, facilities and operating procedures, and by being prepared for emergencies. Safe Products and Services We will reduce and where possible eliminate the use, manufacture or sale of products and services that cause environmental damage or health or safety hazards. We will inform our customers of the environmental impacts of our products or services and try to correct unsafe use. Environmental Restoration We will promptly and responsibly correct conditions we have caused that endanger health, safety or the environment. To the extent feasible, we will redress injuries we have caused to persons or damage we have caused to the environment and will restore the environment. Informing the Public We will inform in a timely manner everyone who may be affected by conditions caused by our company that might endanger health, safety or the environment. We will regularly seek advice and counsel through dialogue with persons in communities near our facilities. We will not take any action against employees for reporting dangerous incidents or conditions to management or to appropriate authorities. Management Commitment We will implement these Principles and sustain a process that ensures that the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer are fully informed about pertinent environmental issues and are fully responsible for environmental policy. In selecting our Board of Directors, we will consider demonstrated environmental commitment as a factor. Audits and Reports We will conduct an annual self-evaluation of our progress in implementing these Principles. We will support the timely creation of generally accepted environmental audit procedures. We will annually complete the CERES Report, which will be made available to the public. Disclaimer These Principles establish an environmental ethic with criteria by which investors and others can assess the environmental performance of companies.Companies that sign these Principles pledge to go voluntarily beyond the requirements of the law. 88 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 103: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit These Principles are not intended to create new legal liabilities,expand existing rights or obligations, waive legal defenses, or otherwise affect the legal position of any signatory company, and are not intended to be used against a signatory in any legal proceeding for any purpose. This amended version of the CERES Principles was adopted by the CERES Board of Directors on April 28, 1992. Companies That Have Adopted the Ceres Principles Ally Capital Corporation Arizona Public Service Company Atlantic Recycled Paper Company Aurora Press Aveda Corporation B & B Publishing The Beamery, Inc. Bellcomb Technologies, Inc. Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Bestmann Green Systems, Inc. The Body Shop International The Bullitt Foundation C-A-P-D Consultants, Inc. Calvert Group Calvert Social Investment Fund Clivus Multrum, Inc. Community Capital Bank Consumers United Group Co-op America Council on Economic Priorities Coyote Found Candles, Inc. Crib Diaper Service Cyclean, Inc. DEJA, Inc. Domino’s Pizza Distribution Corporation Donat/Wald Company Earth Action Network Earth Care Paper Company Earth Communications, Inc. Earthrise Trading Company – Equipment Finance – Electric Utility – Recycled Paper Products – Publishing – Personal Care Products – Publishing – Timber Frame Homes – Structural Building Panels – Ice Cream Products – Bioengineering – Personal Care Products – Philanthropy – Environmental Consulting – Financial Services – Social Investing – Waste Processing – Banking – Community Development – Social Investing – Social Research – Candles – Diaper Services – Asphalt Recycling – Recycled Footwear – Food Distribution – Marketing – Publishing – Recycled Paper Products – Telecommunications Services – Nutritional Products ADOPTING NEW BUSINESS PRACTICES AND RELATIONSHIPS 89
Slide 104: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Eco-Invest Publishing, Ltd. Eco-Logical Marketing Ecoprint Environmental Risk & Loss Control, Inc. Esalen Institute Falcon Partners Management, L.P. First Affirmative Financial Network Franklin Research & Development Corporation General Motors Corporation Geo. W. King Company Global Environmental Technologies Greenworld Products Corporation Harrington Investments Harwood Products Company H.B. Fuller Company The JG Press Indian Foods Company LecTec Corporation Louisville & Jefferson Metropolitan Sewer District Natural World, Inc. Nature’s Fresh Northwest New Heights Schools Oil Mining Energy Corporation Pacific Partners International Investments Paper Service, Ltd. Parson Capital Management Performance Computer Forms Phoenix Heat Treating, Inc. Polaroid Corporation Progressive Asset Management Real Goods Trading Corporation Recycled Paper Company Ringer Corporation Service Litho-Print Seventh Generation – Investment Publishing – Marketing – Printing – Consulting – Education – Investment – Social Investing – Social Investing – Automotive – Printing, Advertising – Water Purification – Lawn & Garden – Social Investing – Lumber Products – Specialty Chemicals – Publishing – Food Products – Medical Products – Sanitation – Personal Care & Home – Natural Foods Chain – Education – Residual Oil Recovery – Investing – Recycled Paper Products – Financial Services – Recycled Paper Products – Heat Treating – Imaging – Social Investing – Mail Order Distribution – Paper Distribution, Printing – Lawn & Garden – Printing – Mail Order Distribution 90 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 105: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Smith & Hawken Source Solutions Group Stonyfield Farm Yogurt Sullivan & Worcester The Summit Group Sun Company, Inc. The Timberland Company Tom’s of Maine Town Creek Industries Tree-Free EcoPaper United States Trust Company of Boston VanCity Savings Credit Union Walnut Acres The WATER Foundation County of Westchester, New York – Mail Order Distribution – Financial Services – Yogurt – Legal Services – Marketing – Petroleum – Outdoor Clothing – Personal Care – Electric Vehicle Research – Paper Products – Banking & Investing – Banking – Organic Farming – Radio Programming – Municipal Government For further information contact Judy Kuszewski, Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES), 711 Atlantic Ave., 5th Floor, Boston, MA, 02111. Telephone: (617) 451-0927, Fax: (617) 482-2028. TOOL Measure and Report on Your Progress and Performance Internal and external communictions and seminars can report on company progress in achieving social, financial and environmental goals. By developing benchmarks against which to measure progress, and reporting on successes and failures, companies reinforce their commitment to stated objectives and alert employees and other stakeholders to areas where additional effort is needed. Just as financial reports help employees focus on cutting costs and maximizing return on investment, environmental and social reports — and audits — also sharpen company focus. A growing number of large corporations are starting to issue annual reports of environmental performance. By defining short and long-term goals and developing tools to measure progress, these companies gain a better understanding of how their operations affect the environment and where they can improve performance, often reducing costs. The U.S. Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, passed in 1986, has proved a valuable stimulus for measuring progress. The law requires 10,000 manufacturers to report their annual releases of 317 toxic chemicals to air, water, and land. The plant-specific data are accumulated in the publicly available Toxics Release Inventory. After compiling their first pollutant inventory, these companies had a baseline for establishing quantitative ADOPTING NEW BUSINESS PRACTICES AND RELATIONSHIPS 91
Slide 106: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit emissions reduction strategies. Many have already reduced emissions by more than 30 percent. Though small and medium sized companies are not yet required to comply with the legislation, that day may not be far off. Once large companies have exhausted cost-effective emissions reduction and pollution prevention strategies, regulators will start to look more closely at the many small firms that generate emissions. This is already happening in California, where air emissions regulations now apply to bakeries, fast food restaurants, lawnmowers, and outdoor barbecues. Corporate monitoring of ethical and social performance is still rare, but spreading. Ben and Jerry’s Homemade Inc., The Body Shop, Patagonia, and Tom’s of Maine report on the causes they promote and their community development efforts.A few companies now include ethics in employee training programs and provide mentors to give moral guidance to new employees. When staff members feel valued, empowered and fairly treated, they are more likely to treat colleagues, suppliers, and customers the same way. TOOL In-House Waste Reduction and Pollution Prevention Teams Green teams, comprising personnel from different departments, can be effective in devising strategies to improve environmental performance. Toplevel support, adequate budgets, and ready access to all employees are necessary to execute team strategies. Start by setting easily achievable goals and get more ambitious as confidence and expertise are gained.Asking all employees to bring their own coffee mugs, and purchasing mugs for visitors, is an easy first step. Requiring all printing and copying to be done double-sided, providing refillable pens in the supply cabinet, and turning off unused lights and equipment are other starting points. Establishing paper and packaging recycling programs, asking suppliers for green alternatives, and installing energy-efficient fluorescent light bulbs might come next. After momentum and interest have been established, tackle the tougher issues. Talk to maintenance staff about biodegradable soaps and cleaning products and ask for bathroom tissue and paper towels made from recycled fibre. Approach your landlord about installing timed thermostats, water-efficient toilets and plumbing fixtures, and lighting systems responsive to outdoor light. Quantify the payback associated with these capital investments, so that everyone understands the financial benefits of environmental responsibility. Manufacturing firms can target their in-house production processes. 92 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 107: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit As staff becomes increasingly aware of the cost and environmental benefits and the ease of implementation, suggestions for improvements are likely to increase. At companies such as 3M and Pacific Gas & Electric, employees are recognized and rewarded for suggesting environmental improvements that save the company money. TOOL Materials that Inform Employees about Economic, Environmental, and Social Trends Informed employees will be better equipped to promote company goals and respond effectively to major trends. Appealingly written books and articles, videotapes, and the occasional guest speaker or outside course can put the company’s efforts into perspective. Ted Turner, the American media mogul, distributes copies of the Worldwatch Institute’s State of the World series to all new producers and reporters. Ben and Jerry’s Homemade, Inc. purchases multiple copies of Co-op America’s National Green Pages to encourage employees to purchase goods and services from other socially responsible companies. Many employees want to perform better: they just need a better understanding of current trends and workable solutions. TOOL Open and Direct Lines of Communication Regularly scheduled staff meetings, electronic mail connecting all personnel, accessible managers, and,in larger companies, an in-house newsletter can keep the lines of communication open. Centrally located and universally accessible bulletin boards or suggestion boxes can stimulate discussion and ideas. Human resources staff who treat employees as individuals and assist them in coping with the competing demands of work and family promote candour and engender loyalty. When employees are given the rationale for major decisions, they are less likely to heed rumours and counter-productive speculation. At Tom’s of Maine, a company that makes natural health and beauty products, all meeting convenors tell participants if the group is in a “circle” or “hierarchical”mode — a circle if they are being asked to reach consensus, or hierarchical if they are being invited to make suggestions. Robert Leaver, former president of New England Businesses for Social Responsibility, reports that workplace issues are more difficult to grapple with than community and environmental concerns for the organization’s 300 member companies. Even the most caring managers are hard put to meet the needs of employees who want to work at home, work flex time,arrive with their dependents, contribute fully to decision making and be respected as unique individuals. Rather than giving up, companies in the organization strive to cooperatively develop innovative and workable solutions. ADOPTING NEW BUSINESS PRACTICES AND RELATIONSHIPS 93
Slide 108: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Call Me Roger Ecoprint founder Roger Telschow almost sold his environmentally responsible print shop in Silver Spring, Maryland, because of the frustrations he suffered as a hierarchical manager. “For the first few years, while my staff grew to three employees, I heeded the advice of others in the business. I insisted that employees call me ‘Mr. Telschow’, and I never ate lunch with any of them. In an attempt to get things done right, I alternated between issuing ultimatums and asking too little of people in hopes that I’d win them over by being ‘nice.’Neither method worked to my satisfaction or theirs.” Then Telschow decided to do something revolutionary: be himself. “I remember going into the shop and telling my employees that I needed their help. I said that I felt as if I had been trying to run the company single-handed. From now on I told them,I wanted them to manage their own jobs themselves, but I would help in any way I could.The bottom line, I said, is that to succeed, we’ve got to work together. And, I added,‘Just call me Roger’. I began revealing the monthly profit-and-loss statement to the whole staff and explaining why we made or lost money.” Today, Ecoprint’s customer satisfaction is above 95 per cent; 99 per cent of jobs are delivered on the day promised; employee absenteeism averages less than one day per year per staff member; employees outproduce the industry average by 57 per cent; and, over the past four years, sales volume has increased six times faster than the industry average. The company has never laid off an employee and has a policy that none will be laid off unless senior management first takes a 25 per cent pay cut. A quarterly profit sharing bonus tied to company performance is now “reinvested”in employees. In good years, this has amounted to 22 percent of profits, the equivalent of six weeks added pay for workers. A $5 cash reward, paid on the spot, goes to those who discover errors on work orders. Last year, it cost the company $300 and saved an estimated $5,000. Ecoprint also donates 10 per cent of pre-tax profits to organizations that protect and preserve the natural environment and is a signatory of the CERES Principles. Ecoprint stocks unbleached and recycled paper, uses vegetable oil-based inks that reduce air pollutants by as much as 90 percent, and employs safe substitutes for pollution-causing solvents and roller washes.The company also recycles its waste paper, reclaims silver from photographic film, and offers an on-site recycling program for employees. By working with new suppliers, Ecoprint has reduced the copper, zinc, and barium contents of its ink from as high as 3,500 parts per million to as low as five parts per million. 94 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 109: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Many of the changes at Ecoprint required new technologies and most called for new supplier relationships.All required Ecoprint employees to alter their work habits. The company’s customers and employees couldn’t be happier, and give Roger the credit. This profile was adapted, with permission, from an article written by Roger Telschow for the January 1993 issue of Nation’s Business, published by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. For more information, contact Roger Telschow, President, Ecoprint, 9335 Fraser Ave., Silver Spring, MD, 20910. Telephone: (301) 585-7077, Fax: (301) 585-4899. External Credibility Customer loyalty, public credibility, and investor confidence are gained by companies perceived to be doing things right. Perfection is an unachievable goal, but definable progress and effective communications are essential. TOOL Annual Sustainable Development Report An annual report highlighting progress made toward reducing emissions, improving environmental performance, and enhancing workplace and societal well-being may be the best possible advertisement for your company. Read by corporate stakeholders, including customers, suppliers, employees, investors, regulators, members of the local community, and environmental groups, the reports can go a long way toward demonstrating your company’s commitment to environmental protection and social responsibility. A clearly articulated set of internal goals, a method for measuring achievement, and candour about current failings make companies look responsible and human. It takes a brave firm to adopt the warts-and-all approach in its reports, but the gains are usually worth it. Ben and Jerry’s Homemade Inc., the Vermont producer of exotically flavoured premium ice creams, is committed to promoting a variety of causes, including rainforest protection, world peace, and community economic development.The Ben & Jerry’s Foundation established by the company channels 7.5 percent of pre-tax profits to charities around the world. Ice cream ingredients are purchased from companies that employ formerly homeless people, recovering alcoholics, and drug addicts, as well as from indigenous harvesting collectives in developing countries. To make sure its programs are on track, Ben and Jerry’s courageously asks an outsider to write its annual social audit, part of each year’s annual report, and promises not to make changes. Paul Hawken, co-founder of the gardening company Smith and Hawken, wrote the 1992 review, in which he criticized the company for the environmental damage it causes by transporting ice-cream in ADOPTING NEW BUSINESS PRACTICES AND RELATIONSHIPS 95
Slide 110: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit refrigerated trucks across North America. Vermont, of course, benefits by keeping jobs and suppliers close to home. In his “Declaration of Sustainability,” in the September/October 1993 issue of the Utne Reader, Hawken calls Ben and Jerry’s “America’s premier socially responsible company. Are there flaws? Of course. Welcome to planet Earth. But the people at Ben and Jerry’s are relaxed and unflinching in their willingness to look at, discuss, and deal with problems.” In a published interview, company co-founder Ben Cohen said,“When we first started out with our social mission, the lawyers, accountants, pundits, and business people all said it would be our undoing.Ironically, it’s because of these values and actions that we are becoming so profitable.” Economics professors Stephen Erfle and Michael Fratantuono at Pennsylvania’s Dickinson College have studied the link between companies’social performance and profitability. They found a positive correlation between profits and the following five criteria: environmental performance, advancement of women, advancement of minorities, charitable giving, and community action. In an era when companies are not trusted and everybody’s a cynic, being open about your failures, as well as your achievements, can go a long way toward building trust and cultivating loyalty. TOOL A Commitment to Honest and Accessible Public Relations “There is nothing more damaging than a spokesperson who does not know or care about the issues,”wrote John Elkington and Peter Knight in their book, The Green Business Guide. Successfully conveying information about your company to customers, journalists, the local community, and anybody who has an interest in what you do requires an up-front approach and clear, understandable language. People naturally fear or are skeptical of what they don’t know. With knowledge comes familiarity, security, and often support. In recent years, many consumer products companies have established toll-free telephone numbers to sell merchandise and respond to customer inquiries. When staffed by knowledgeable and courteous personnel, 800 numbers can provide information on how products are made and how to dispose of them safely. They can also convey a “corporate soul.” By the same token, an 800 operator who is not helpful and is unable to answer or redirect questions will frustrate and annoy customers.This can be especially damaging when the caller is phoning about a real or perceived risk or hazard. Companies that make or sell highly technical equipment and products face another challenge: scientists and technicians are often incapable of explaining 96 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 111: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit what they do in lay terms. If this is the case at your company, well-informed marketing or communications staff should do the public speaking and answer media calls. If your company is new to the community, has just developed a great production process to solve an environmental problem, or is the victim of damaging rumours,an open house can help raise awareness,build support,and quell fears. Community groups often want to feel pride in local companies, but you have to give them something to feel proud about. When Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop, opened new Canadian headquarters in October 1993, she invited many guests and explained why the building was the most environmentally sound structure in Toronto. Favourable press, of any type, can boost sales and engender customer loyalty. Bad press is bad business. Avoid it with readily available, credible information on your successes, failures, and routine activities. TOOL A Commitment to Community Development Efforts Although many companies still measure their contribution to the community by the size of the cheque they write to local charities, a growing number are engaged in more active community development work. At Tom’s of Maine, employees are paid for contributing as many as five hours a week to community projects. To assist Kennebunk establish a recycling program, Tom’s purchased recycling bins for every household in town. Employees at 900 Body Shops around the world are encouraged to devote one paid day a month to community education and development efforts.Body Shop stores routinely donate valuable display space to local environmental, community development, and get-out-the-vote drives. Anita Roddick knows that environmentally savvy and informed customers will want to be her clients. Patagonia, an outdoor equipment and clothing supplier, gives 10 per cent of its profits to grassroots environmental groups. More than 350 organizations have benefitted from grants, ranging from a few hundred dollars to $20,000. The company gives away more money than it spends on advertising. And it started giving the money away four years before mentioning it in the sales catalogue. Patagonia has also published a manual to teach environmental groups how to work with the media. As more female entrepreneurs achieve market success, day care centres, educational facilities, and organizations assisting battered women are starting to receive more corporate donations. ADOPTING NEW BUSINESS PRACTICES AND RELATIONSHIPS 97
Slide 112: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Leveraging Your Resources TOOL Work with Innovative Business Associations A growing number of trade associations and business networks are issuing environmental performance guidelines for members, preparing educational materials on environmental and social issues, and holding seminars on timely subjects of interest. Following are some of the organizations likely to be of interest to eco-entrepreneurs. Business for Social Responsibility 1030 15th Street, NW Suite 1010 Washington, D.C. 20005 USA Tel: (202) 842-5400 Fax: (202) 842-3135 Contact: Kathy Grimes, Vice President Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), founded in 1992 in Washington, D.C., focuses on human resource issues, environmental performance, community relations, and resolving international problems. Its 850 members and affiliated companies pay from $150 to $5,000 a year to belong and to receive advice on improving their social, environmental, and financial performance. A book, Beyond the Bottom Line: Putting Social Responsibility to Work for Your Business and the World, and a booklet documenting Environmental Practices of Member Companies were published in Fall, 1994. Assessing member initiatives, implementation strategies, and effects on the company and community is an ongoing effort designed to enlighten and educate other BSR members, a broader business audience, and public policy makers. A series of national workshops on eco-efficiency will be launched by the BSR Education Fund in January 1995. As of September 1994, BSR chapters had been formed in 24 regions across the United States. Canadian Business for Social Responsibility Hope Unlimited Gift Store 2206 W 4th Avenue Vancouver, BC V6K 1N8 Tel: (604) 732-4438 Fax: (604) 482-8283 Contact: Nancy Bradshaw 98 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 113: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Canadian Business for Social Responsibility is a new organization for companies committed to socially responsible business policies and practices that actively contribute to improving the quality of life in their communities. Any for-profit business whose chief executive officer agrees with the guiding principles of the organization may become a member. There will be one major evening speaker event every quarter. Members will have the opportunity to attend monthly workshops to exchange ideas on implementing social and environmental principles. Topics will include community involvement, environment, and employee remuneration. Members will have the opportunity to attend the annual BSR conference in the United States and receive its newsletter. For those interested in forming a chapter in Halifax, please contact P’lovers 5657 Spring Garden Road, Box 224 Halifax, NS B3J 3R4 Tel: (902) 422-6060 Fax: (902) 425-2990 Contact: Liz Crocker Co-op America Business Network 1612 K Street, NW, #600 Washington, D.C. 20006 Tel: (202) 872-5307 Toll-free: (800) 584-7336 Fax: (202) 331-8166 Internet: cabn@envirolink.org Contact: Russ Gaskin The Co-op America Business Network in Washington, D.C., has screened each of its 1,200 member companies to evaluate their adherence to the principles of sustainable development. Prospective members are asked to fill out a social responsibility profile that covers the company’s relationship with the local community, customers, employees, and the environment. The Network is looking for demonstrated efforts that go beyond general standards but recognizes that no company is perfect. Only those companies regarded as socially responsible are approved for membership by the board of directors. Firms that do not satisfy minimum criteria are asked to stay involved and receive materials, but are not promoted by the Network and will not be included on its business-generating referral list. The Network publishes the National Green Pages, which has 100 product categories and asks readers to refer to it any time they make a purchase worth ADOPTING NEW BUSINESS PRACTICES AND RELATIONSHIPS 99
Slide 114: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit more than $50. Another Network service sources products for U.S. catalogues and home shopping channels from socially responsible, sustainable enterprises. The new Green Business Maps program helps members in major U.S. cities create cooperative advertising in the form of metropolitan area maps showing where green businesses are located. Other discounted or low-cost services provided to member companies are: travel, long distance telephone, credit card processing, and group health and life insurance. Council of Sustainable Industries of New Jersey and New York American Soil P.O. Box 295 Ramsey, NJ 07446-0295 Tel/Fax: (201) 327-2312 Contact: Rob Young The Council of Sustainable Industries of New Jersey and New York promotes co-operation among the “rising tide of private and community ecological entrepreneurs”. The 50-member Council provides referrals for those seeking sustainable goods and services, educates the public about companies making false environmental claims, and promotes quality standards and legislation that reflect the true social and environmental costs of goods and services. Business Environmental Network Project Peninsula Conservation Center 3921 East Bay Shore Road Palo Alto, CA 94303 Tel: (415) 962-9876 Fax: (415) 962-8234 Contact: Carol Kraus Lauffer The Business Environmental Network Project, sponsored by the Peninsula Conservation Center, issues a bi-monthly newsletter, Eco-Opportunities, which describes what companies and individuals in the San Francisco Bay area and Silicon Valley are doing to improve their environmental performance. Serving 120 small and large companies, the Project holds regular events to discuss current environmental topics and company policies to address the problem. According to organizer Carol Kraus Lauffer, this is one of the few subjects about which high-tech companies concerned about confidentiality are willing to share information. 100 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 115: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Social Venture Network 1388 Sutter Street, Suite 1010 San Francisco, CA 94109 Tel: (415) 771-4308 Fax: (415) 771-0535 Contact: Jennifer Chapman, Deputy Director The Social Venture Network, formed in 1987 and headquartered in San Francisco, is a membership organization composed primarily of entrepreneurs, investors, and investment professionals who believe that business is not only a means of financial success but a potentially powerful force in creating a more just, humane, and sustainable world. The organization strives to build a community of business leaders who have demonstrated concern for social issues and to strengthen the credibility of innovative business initiatives. The 400-member organization sponsors national meetings twice a year. Members receive specialized mailings and regular newsletters, and information on resource people, services, projects, and businesses of interest to them. A data-base is maintained on each member’s activities and interests. Membership is by invitation only for individuals who have demonstrated entrepreneurial talent, substantial net worth coupled with active private investing, experience in corporate leadership or investment management, philanthropic or organizational leadership, or who can make a special contribution to the Network’s efforts. TOOL Tap the Expertise of Non-Profit Organizations Non-profit organizations have a wealth of expertise and contacts to share. Although some still engage in adversarial relationships with the business community, many others are open and willing to participate in collaborative efforts. When Loblaw, the Canadian grocery giant, decided to launch its Green Line products in 1990,the company went to Friends of the Earth and Pollution Probe for advice. Both organizations suggested products for the line, evaluated the merits of a variety of items, and made recommendations on marketing strategies. The organizations’familiarity with a range of environmental issues, coupled with their ability to distinguish the truly superior environmental products from those making spurious claims, gave credibility to the entire launch effort. Thermco, of Mississauga, Ontario (see pages 64-69), a manufacturer of energy efficient, reduced-CFC condensers for refrigeration and air conditioning ADOPTING NEW BUSINESS PRACTICES AND RELATIONSHIPS 101
Slide 116: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit systems, has also solicited advice from Friends of the Earth (FOE).The company benefits from FOE assessments of policy and industry trends, and receives valuable free advertising. Friends of the Earth gets the satisfaction of helping put its policies into practice in the market place and gains private sector credibility. Bryan Thomlison, formerly Canadian marketing director of Church and Dwight, makers of Arm and Hammer baking soda, started working with environmental groups after receiving an unexpected phone call from an environmental leader. She told him the environmental community was promoting baking soda as an alternative cleanser, but the company was not taking advantage of new opportunities. Thomlison met with her and learned rapidly about impending regulations and the soon-to-be released agendas of a variety of environmental organizations. After taking the advice of his “ongoing focus group”,Thomlison watched as baking soda sales, which had been flat for seven years, grew 30 per cent in 36 months. Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda also increased its market share, from 25 to 40 percent. The company moved Thomlison to the United States to replicate the Canadian success. He now boasts a computer data base of 1,200 regulators, legislators, environmental educators, and reporters. By listening to and cooperating with environmental organizations, Church and Dwight has reaped the rewards of the groups’advocacy and education efforts. In 1989, when the U.S. Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) approached McDonald’s with an offer to collaborate on reducing the company’s waste, neither side knew exactly what to expect.After many meetings and site visits to get a sense of each other’s operations, the two developed a sound working relationship that resulted in revamped McDonald’s packaging, procurement, and waste management practices. The 42 initiatives in the Waste Reduction Action Plan developed by EDF have the potential for cutting the waste at McDonald’s 8,500 restaurants by more than 80 percent. The company not only accepted EDF’s advice, it committed itself to implementing the initiatives over a two-year period. At the end of the first year, McDonald’s had completed 19 of the initiatives and added 20 more. By cooperating with EDF, McDonald’s overcame corporate inertia and discovered suppliers willing to cooperate in reducing waste. The company is saving money and has received a tremendous amount of favourable publicity. In 1993, EDF formed a corporate task force to increase the use of environmentally preferable paper and paperboard products. Duke University, the Environmental Defense Fund, Johnson & Johnson, McDonald’s, NationsBank Corp, the Prudential Insurance Company of America, and Time 102 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 117: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Inc. collectively spend more than $1 billion annually on business and writing papers, publications, and packaging. When the group issues its model purchasing guidelines in late 1994, suppliers of recycled and unbleached paper products are certain to respond; some are already re-evaluating their investment plans. TOOL Contract With the Best The construction industry has long relied on primary and subcontractors to perform various components of a large job. Pooling resources can be useful to any company trying to create a stronger, more competitive whole. When Wal-Mart built its new Eco-Store in Lawrence, Kansas, and the Audubon Society built its new headquarters in NewYork City, both called on experts from coast to coast. Innovative architects, lighting firms, and suppliers of sustainable building materials worked together to create the most energy efficient retail store and office building in the country. Off-the-shelf products and technologies, as well as new inventions, were used to develop healthy, appealing interior spaces that cost significantly less to heat, cool, and ventilate, and that reduce water use. Until the 1980s, undertaking large projects, entering major new markets, or working globally was the exclusive privilege of big corporations and conglomerates. Today, thanks to the innovative use of virtual corporations, strategic alliances, and joint ventures, small and medium sized companies are beginning to compete and to win contracts outside of their traditional markets. Rapid advances in communications technologies, a global orientation within even the smallest business, and the greater efficiencies that can be offered by a team of small players, enable these firms to perform on the global stage. Virtual corporations, with low overhead and geographically dispersed staff, can be cost competitive and provide a range of skills and geographical expertise. Many consulting firms, for example, now employ professional staff working on contract out of their homes. Fax machines, modems,and electronic mail enable staff to work independently. Customers may still visualize an office building, but the reality is far different. By entering into strategic alliances, small and medium sized companies can build ongoing competitive capacity in the market place. Environmental engineering companies, marketing firms, and financial advisors, for example, can work together to provide a comprehensive set of skills, such as those offered by the Ontario Environmental Training Consortium. Joint ventures are also good vehicles for combining two or more companies to produce new products and services. Joint ventures between companies in different countries ADOPTING NEW BUSINESS PRACTICES AND RELATIONSHIPS 103
Slide 118: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit provide the opportunity to enter global markets without incurring many of the costs. TOOL Use Incubators to Help You Grow More than 500 business incubation facilities in Canada and the United States now offer a broad range of services to small start-up companies in fields ranging from high technology to micro-enterprise service. Access to office and manufacturing space, meeting rooms, administrative help, and business equipment can defer costly outlays when a company is getting on its feet or being run from a garage or dining room table. Business incubators accelerate the successful development of entrepreneurial companies.They provide handson assistance and a variety of business and technical support services for startup and fledgling firms during their most vulnerable years. Although still a relatively new and underutilized service,incubators can provide valuable referrals. They can often arrange for high technology companies to have the use of laboratory and testing equipment at universities and private corporations. Indeed, some incubators, such as the Advanced Technology Centre at the university research park in Edmonton,are designed specifically to assist high-tech start-ups. For information on an incubator near you, contact: National Incubation Business Association One President St. Athens, OH 45701 Tel: (614)593-4331 Fax: (614)593-1996 Contact: Terry Murphy Director of Member Services Advanced Technology Centre 203, 9650 20th Avenue Edmonton, AB T6N 1G1 Tel: (403) 462-2121 Fax: (403) 428-5376 Contact: Ron Holland, Director Directory of Business Incubators (U.S. and Canada) Published annually. $19.95. International Venture Capital Institute (IVCI) P.O. Box 1333 Stamford, CT 06904 Tel: (203) 323-3143 Contact: Mr. C.A. Greathouse, President 104 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 119: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit TOOL Have Fun, Stay Healthy, and Enjoy Your Work in an Increasingly Stressful World Burn out is a common complaint, but some low cost, innovative changes in business practices can reduce the toll. At Ben and Jerry’s Homemade Inc., the volunteer Joy Gang makes the working environment more fun. At Hasbro toys in Rhode Island, workers get Friday afternoons off in the summer. Other employers permit staff to dress down on Fridays, or all the time, and some host informal happy hours. At Quad/Graphics, the Wisconsin-based printing firm, owner Larry Quadracci employs the services of his goat, Gruff. “Be a Gruff...Recycle Stuff” is his company’s slogan for its recycling program and Gruff has his own electronic mail address for receiving and responding to questions and comments about recycling and the environment. As more employees try to exercise away stress, a growing number of companies are establishing health clubs or offering discounted memberships at local facilities.Companies are installing showers and lockers for workers who bike or run to work. Calvert Social Venture Partners in Bethesda, MD, buys running shoes for employees who walk to work and Patagonia buys locks for those who commute by bicycle. Creating a day care centre, providing sick child care, and offering flexible working hours and opportunities to work at home can ease the stress of employees with children. Small companies, unable to provide amenities like day care and health clubs, can provide flexibility and the occasional entertaining or relaxing surprise.Twice a year, for example, the Ecoprint staff goes on an outing to experience the environment they work to protect. See “Directories”, pages 171-172, for publications on New Business Practices. ADOPTING NEW BUSINESS PRACTICES AND RELATIONSHIPS 105
Slide 120: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Profiles The combination of business acumen, vision, and perseverance is resulting in a growing number of innovative companies profiting from the transition toward sustainable development. As the following three profiles illustrate, one determined entrepreneur can begin to reorient an entire industry. CAERAN: A New Recipe for Success After researching the cause of her infant son’s skin irritations, Sharon De Cloet founded CAERAN, a manufacturer of environmentally responsible cleaning and personal care products. Numerous phone calls to laundry detergent manufacturers had left De Cloet frustrated. All she wanted to know was,“what was in laundry soap and how could she avoid those allergy-causing ingredients?” Nobody would answer her question. Finally, De Cloet met a chemist who identified the ingredients causing her son’s problem — fluorescent whitening agents, enzymes and artificial perfumes — and who made a recipe for her to use.As requests to share the recipe increased, De Cloet realized she was on to something. Founded in 1989, CAERAN now manufacturers 30 products and has a 150person sales team across Canada. Starting with sales of $18,000 in 1989, the company expects sales of $500,000 in 1994. A single parent with two children, De Cloet works out of her home and gets up at 5 a.m. to get some office work done before getting her children off to school. An outspoken environmental advocate, De Cloet lists each product ingredient on the label and provides a description of each ingredient in the company catalogue. Customers receive two mailings a year, including a newsletter that focuses on environmental issues and new products. De Cloet is dedicated to helping entrepreneurs and volunteers her time to mentor other business owners. She offers two training, motivation and education workshops a year for her national sales staff and awards top performers. Recognizing the need for her own team of mentors, De Cloet organizes an annual soul searching and strategy meeting to plan the company’s future and revise her business plan. Recipient of the Home Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 1992,De Cloet won the New Initiative Award for Entrepreneurial Canadian Women in 1993. CAERAN has been identified as one of Ontario’s 50 hot new companies to watch by the Ontario Business Journal. For further information contact Sharon De Cloet, President, CAERAN, 25 Penny Lane, Brantford, Ontario, Canada, N3R 5Y5. Telephone: (519) 751-0513, Fax: (519) 751-3976. 106 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 121: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit O Wear: Wearing Your Commitment A 25-year veteran of the wholesale apparel industry and a committed environmentalist, George L. Akers founded O Wear, America’s first 100% certified organic cotton clothing company by serendipitous accident. In 1989,Akers began manufacturing merchandise for environmental groups on a volunteer basis and it was then that he realized the clothes he was making were not as “clean”as the groups he was making them for would have liked. They were manufactured with the aid of fabric-stiffening washes, and the slogans the clothes bore were silkscreened with polluting inks. Worst of all, the cotton from which these clothes were made had been grown with harmful chemical pesticides and fertilizers. On a trip to London that year, Akers happened into an environmental boutique and discovered “green cotton” T-shirts — a product of German environmental groups that used unbleached, undyed cotton. Back home in Los Angeles, Akers began to take a harder look at his industry and found three primary areas of concern: chemical intensive cotton farming methods; toxic cloth production techniques; and toxic dyeing methods. He met with farmers in California’s San Joaquin Valley and discovered the answer to his first problem: organic cotton. He found that small amounts of organic cotton already were being grown as cover crops at a few organic produce farms. But since there was no market for organic cotton, the farmers were selling it at conventional cotton prices and losing money. Akers contracted to buy as much organic cotton as they could grow, and at profitable prices. At the same time, he began working with his subcontractors throughout the apparel manufacturing process to find new ways of spinning thread, knitting and weaving cloth, and piecing garments. For example, instead of using formaldehyde in the finishing stage and chemical washes for pre-shrinking, Akers’suppliers used only hot water and safe soaps. With a new “clean”apparel production system in place, Akers founded Green Cotton Environment, a line of casual wear he sold at his retail store at Fred Segal for a Better Ecology in Santa Monica, CA. The store is now known as “Pure Evolution”. By 1991, Akers’ business was growing rapidly. He had virtually cornered the existing organic cotton market and was creating farmers’ co-ops across the country to encourage more farmers to grow their cotton organically. Then, in January, 1992, Akers’ small company was acquired by VF Corporation, the nation’s largest apparel manufacturer. The company was renamed “O Wear”(O for organic) and Akers became Executive Vice President of Operations. ADOPTING NEW BUSINESS PRACTICES AND RELATIONSHIPS 107
Slide 122: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit In this role Akers oversaw all organic cotton sourcing and apparel. He led O Wear’s continuing effort to help conventional cotton farmers make the transition to growing organically, and today O Wear is one of the world’s largest purchasers of organic cotton. For his efforts,Akers and O Wear received the first United Nations Fashion and the Environment Award from the United Nations Environment Programme in April, 1993. Akers’ commitment to environmental issues extends beyond his professional life. He serves on the Advisory Board and the Merchandising Committee of Heal the Bay, a Los Angeles-based organization dedicated to cleaning up Santa Monica’s polluted coastal waters and beaches, and he was honored in 1993 by Heal the Bay with its “Superhealer Award.”Additionally, he is a member of the Advisory Council of the California Organic Growers & Processors Association; member, Board of Directors, The Fashion Association; member, Advisory Committee, Earth Action Report; and member, Board of Advisors, Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandizing - L.A. In May, 1993 he received the First Annual Los Angeles Magazine “Environmental Pride Award for Innovation.” For more than 20 years prior to founding O Wear, Akers concentrated on the “start-up”of numerous clothing companies including Ragtime, Brittania, Texas Rose, Union Bay, Generra and others. Currently Akers, who continues to retain his equity position in O Wear but has fulfilled his employment contracts with VF Corporation, has gone on to his next challenge: to expand organic farming by developing unique companies to market organic food, fiber and fashions. For further information contact George Akers, 10430 Scenario Lane, Los Angeles, CA 90077. Telephone: (310) 474-3315, Fax: (310) 474-4556. DEJA SHOE: Footwear With a Past In 1990, Julie Lewis, an Oregon recycling activist, turned her goal of creating a market for recycled materials into DEJA Inc., a shoe company that manufactures casual/outdoor footwear from 23 recycled materials. DEJA™ SHOE, The Environmental Footwear Company™, based in Portland, Oregon, produces shoes that are leather-free and made from recycled and sustainably harvested materials. Old milk jugs, wet suit trim, coffee filters and automobile tires are among the 23 pre- and post-consumer materials used to produce DEJA’s growing product line. DEJA is also the first company to use TreeTap Vegetal Leather, a plant material obtained by rubber tappers in the Amazon rain forest, in its footwear. In spring 1995, DEJA will introduce footwear made of natural hemp fibre, grown in Hungary. 108 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 123: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit The non-toxic adhesives used by DEJA eliminate the use of smog-producing and health-damaging solvents. The company’s leather-free footwear policy alleviates the health and environmental impacts associated with tanning. DEJA also gives 5 percent of its pre-tax profits to The Species Survival Commission, in support of its work to protect endangered plants. The shoes are carried by a variety of retailers, including Bloomingdale’s and Dayton Hudson, and can be purchased through Real Goods catalogue.They are distributed throughout Canada by Roblin Athletic, based in Winnipeg. Armed with the vision and zeal of company founder Julie Lewis and the footwear industry expertise of president and CEO Bruce MacGregor, formerly of Avia, DEJA was able to attract $2.5 million of start-up venture capital from three companies in Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco. A second round of $1.2 million was obtained from the same team.“From virtually a dead start, DEJA has achieved national recognition as a footwear industry leader in the manufacture of its environmentally friendly products,” said Cheryl Krane of BancBoston, one of the investors. DEJA stays on track with a mission statement and two pages of corporate policies. “As a company committed to sustainable development and environmental stewardship, DEJA SHOE will manufacture and market footwear made from recycled materials, as well as ecologically obtained plant materials, and develop new technologies, uses and markets for these materials,”says the mission statement. “The major principles upon which we have established our company include the sustainable use and conservation of renewable and non-renewable resources, protection of wildlife habitats, open spaces and wilderness, preservation of biodiversity, and environmental stewardship. Alleviation of poverty through economic sharing, both locally and globally, is an important prerequisite of sustainable development, and we are also committed to addressing this broader social issue. Our goal is to leave the Earth healthy and safe for future generations,”says the corporate policy. For additional information contact Mary E. Campbell, Communications Manager, DEJA SHOE, The Environmental Footwear Company, 7165 Southwest Fir Loop, Suite 200, Portland, OR 97223. Telephone: (503) 624-7443, Toll-free: (800) 331-3352, Fax: (503) 624-2620. ADOPTING NEW BUSINESS PRACTICES AND RELATIONSHIPS 109
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Slide 125: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Conclusion CONCLUSION 111
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Slide 127: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit espite unparalleled technological advances in electronics, telecommunications, medicine, and other key industries, all of the earth’s major ecosystems are in decline. Yet few leaders in the business and research communities have latched on to pollution prevention and societal well-being as major business opportunities. D Public concern generated by a local smoke stack or waste dump is only slowly leading to a broader awareness of the environmental and social costs of many of today’s economic activities. Consumers, investors, and government agencies are just beginning to translate this awareness into new behaviour. Over time, our purchasing, investment, job training and economic development decisions are likely to change significantly. The concept of sustainable development provides direction as we work to develop solutions to our economic, environmental, and social problems. Sustainable development illustrates the interdependence among economic viability, environmental health, and societal well-being.It calls for change in the way we use resources, develop technologies, make investments, and manage our businesses so that both future and present needs are met. The role of business in the transition to more sustainable behaviour is to develop and market, at a profit, the products and services that will help solve many of these problems. Given the scope of change that is necessary, the opportunities are enormous. The Business Council for Sustainable Development estimates that we must reduce our energy and resource use at least 20-fold, primarily through efficiency advances, if we are to live within the Earth’s carrying capacity. Product modifications alone will not be enough. Entirely new technologies, designs, concepts, and ways of working, living, and transporting goods and people will be required. EarthEnterprise™ was created to provide support to the entrepreneurs and innovators who are developing and marketing these new products, services, and technologies. This support comes in the form of networks, meetings, and published information such as the Tool Kit and the EarthEnterprise Exchange newsletter. Our research and the experiences of the many people who are part of the EarthEnterprise™ Network indicate that a small but growing share of the business community is ready to adopt sustainability as a goal. To successfully tap the growing markets and substantial opportunities available, ecoentrepreneurs must possess keen business acumen, a sound understanding of emerging trends, and new tools and skills. The challenge of building businesses that profitably achieve environmental and social objectives is a new one. Some of the leaders have been mentioned in this CONCLUSION 113
Slide 128: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit book. Many others are working hard to get their small companies on the map. Charting the development of these firms is difficult.Most are private, do not fall nicely into standard industrial classifications, and cannot be measured adequately using existing growth indicators. All eco-entrepreneurs require a good understanding of their markets. Competition will be ruthless, both from other start-ups and from large, established companies that decide to exploit the green niche. Although market expansion appears inevitable, it can be hastened by the regulations and procurement policies of governments and corporations. Tracking these kickstarted markets can result in large paybacks, and a head start on the competition. New markets arising from international environmental agreements, legislation, and revised resource pricing will require the development and use of new technologies. The remediation and abatement technologies that launched the environmental industry are often capital intensive. Small and medium sized entreprises, without vested interests in traditional technologies, can jump directly to more efficient, pollution prevention and sustainable technologies. Wind turbines,small-scale cogeneration units, and manufacturing technologies that incorporate recycled materials are examples. Investors are often unaware of these emerging markets and technologies.They are interested in high and relatively safe returns on their investments. Telling them they can protect the planet will not convince them to part with their money. But eco-entrepreneurs with a sound business plan, lower than average projected costs, and reduced contingent liabilities can convince investors to back their enterprises. Enthusiasm, competence, and trust are essential. Sustainable enterprises are interested in a financial, environmental, and social bottom line. They tend to make public commitments and then report on their progress. Their openness often leads to unusual and profitable partnerships with organizations that can extend the reach and influence of a small company. In order to thrive, sustainable enterprises need bigger markets for their products, services and technologies. Increased public awareness, enlightened procurement policies, and strong enforcement of environmental regulations will increase demand. Over time, as all products and services are made to pay the full cost of the environmental and social burdens they cause, sustainable enterprises will have a considerable advantage in both consumer and financial markets. It is our hope that this Tool Kit will accelerate both the supply and demand for sustainable enterprises. 114 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Slide 129: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Directories DIRECTORIES 115
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Slide 131: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Product Certification and Labelling Organizations Canadian Standards Association Environmental Programs Director 178 Rexdale Blvd. Rexdale (Toronto), ON M9W 1R3 Tel: (416) 747-4003 Fax: (416) 747-2476 Contact: John Wolfe Environmental ChoiceM Program Environment Canada 107 Sparks Street, Suite 200 Ottawa, ON K1A 0H3 Tel: (613) 941-6770 Fax: (613) 952-9465 Contact: Alayne Martell Public Relations Officer Industry Canada Merchandise Standards Division Consumer Products Branch Place du Portage, Phase I 50 Victoria Street Hull, QC K1A 0C9 Tel: (819) 997-1177 Fax: (819) 953-2931 Contact: Jay Jackson Federal Trade Commission Sixth St. and Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington, D.C. 20580 Tel: (202) 326-3158 Fax: (202) 326-3259 Contact: Michael Dershowitz Under FTC guidelines, each manufacturer, wholesaler, distributor or retailer making an environmental claim is liable for substantiating it.The Commission has pursued dozens of environmental labelling claims and has issued 27 “cease and desist orders”. If they are violated, the FTC will impose $10,000 fines. Green Seal 1730 Rhode Island Ave., NW Suite 1050 Washington, D.C. 20036-3101 Tel: (202) 331-7337 Fax: (202) 331-7533 Contact: David Hauck, V.P., Business Development National Retail Hardware Association/Home Center Institute 5822 W. 74th Street Indianapolis, IN 46278 Tel: (317) 290-0338, ext. 235 Toll-free: (800) 772-4424 Fax: (317) 328-4354 Contact: Richard Lindsay, Director of Industry/Environmental Affairs Scientific Certification Systems The Ordway Building One Kaiser Plaza, Ste. 901 Oakland, CA 94612 Tel: (510) 832-1415 Toll-free: (800) ECO-FACTS Fax: (510) 832-0359 Contacts: Linda Brown, Vice President of Communications Chet Chaffee, Vice President of Marketing Directories 117
Slide 132: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Marketing Resources and Sales Leads Consumer Catalogues Real Goods Trading Co. 966 Mazzoni St. Ukiah, CA 95482 Tel: (707) 468-9292 Toll-free: (800) 762-7325 Fax: (707) 468-0301 Contact: John Schaeffer, President The Real Goods catalogue features energy and water saving appliances, clothing, books, and toys.The company’s Solar Living Sourcebook is the foremost resource guide to technical information on renewable energy systems and energy- and water-efficient technologies for the home. Seventh Generation 49 Hercules Drive Colchester, VT 05446 Tel: (802) 655-6777 Fax: (802) 655-2700 Contact: Jeffrey Hollander, President Co-op America 1612 K Street, NW, #600 Washington, D.C. 20006 Tel: (202) 872-5307 Toll-free: (800) 584-7336 Fax: (202) 331-8166 Contact: Russ Gaskin Co-op America’s National Green Pages contains 100 product categories ranging from clothing to lighting to pest control and lists 1300 businesses. 118 The Directory of Mail Order Catalogs 1995. Grey House Publishing Pocket Knife Square Lakesville, CT 06039 Tel: (203) 435-0868 Fax: (203) 435-0867 Contact: Leslie Mackenzie, Publisher & Editor Lists 7,000 consumer-oriented mailorder catalogues representing over 40 industries. The Catalog of Catalogs III: The Complete Mail-order Directory 1993. $19.95. Written by Edward L. Palder. Available through Woodbine House 6510 Bells Mill Road Bethesda, MD 20817 Tel: (301) 468-8800 Toll-free: (800) 843-7323 Fax: (301) 468-5784 Updated directory of various catalogues, some of which may be good sales avenues for ecoentrepreneurs’products. Direct Marketing List Source Standard Rate and Data Service 3004 Glenview Road Wilmette, IL 60091 Toll-free: (800) 851-7737 Fax: (708) 441-2252 Contact: Customer Service Catalogue of over 50,000 consumer and business mailing lists for direct International Institute for Sustainable Development
Slide 133: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit mail marketing. Also lists brokers, compilers, and list managers. and chains throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Information listed is store’s name, complete address, telephone and fax numbers, year established, number of employees, sales volume, number of stores in a chain, headquarters, name of resident buying office, executives and their titles, all the lines of merchandise the stores sell and the names of the buyers for each of the lines. The following are directories of interest to eco-entrepreneurs published by: CSG Information Services 3922 Coconut Palm Drive Tampa, FL 33619-8321 Tel: (813) 664-6835 Toll-free: (800) 285-6835 Fax: (813) 664-6888 Contact: Heidi Hawkins, Territory Manager CSG has distributed exclusive information on leading retailers and wholesalers in the U.S. and Canada for over 65 years. Information provided in any format including electronic, mailing labels and hardcopy. • Chain Store Guides (various); • Supermarket, Grocery and Convenience Store Chains; • Single-Unit Supermarket Operators; • Discount Department Stores; • Drug Store and HBC Chains; Sales to Retailers Home Depot 2727 Paces Ferry Road, NW Atlanta, GA 30339 Tel: (404) 433-8211 Fax: (404) 319-2381 Contact: Mark Eisen, Manager, Environmental Marketing The Natural Connection (catalogue for retailers) P.O. Box 8233 North Brattleboro,VT 05304 Tel/Fax: (802) 368-2711 Contact: Kevin Connelly Wal-Mart 702 South West 8th Street Bentonville, AR 72716 Tel: (501) 273-8228 Fax: (501) 273-1931 Contact: Steve Schwitters, Environmental Marketing Manager Sheldon’s Major Stores & Chains 1994. $140. Phelon, Sheldon & Marsar, Inc. 15 Industrial Avenue Box 517 Fairview, NJ 07022-1685 Tel: (201) 941-8804 Toll-free: (800) 234-8804 Fax: (201) 941-5515 Contacts: Joseph R. Marsar Jr., CEO Kenneth W. Phelon Jr., Editor A family business since 1864. Publishes directories of retail stores Directories 119
Slide 134: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit • • • • • • • • • • • General Merchandise, Variety and Specialty Stores; Department Stores; Women’s & Children’s Wear Specialty Stores; Men’s & Boy’s Wear Specialty Stores; Home Furnishings Retailers; Home Centre Operators & Hardware Chains; Hardlines Distributors; Value Added Resellers; Computer & Software Retailers; Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers; High Volume Independent Drug Stores. EcoLinking: Everyone’s Guide to Online Environmental Information 1992. 352 pp. Written by Don Rittner. Peachpit Press 2414 Sixth Street Berkeley, CA 94710 Tel: (510) 548-4393 Fax: (510) 548-5991 Excellent general guide and introduction for online users seeking environmental information. Global networks, electronic bulletin boards, commercial online services and libraries that never close are covered in this easy to understand guide. Greater Los Angeles Green Pages: The Local Handbook for Planet Maintenance A project of Environment Now and the Green Media Group. It is an environmental primer and directory with 150 alphabetically listed categories and subcategories. All proceeds to be contributed to Los Angeles-based environmental organizations. To order: The Green Pages 24955 Pacific Coast Highway Suite C201 Malibu, CA 90265 Tel: (310) 456-2163 Fax: (310) 456-3989 Environmental Guides, Directories, and Trade Shows The Green Supermarket Shopping Guide John Wasik and The New Consumer Institute, an international network and think-tank on green management and marketing. P.O. Box 51 Wauconda, IL 60084 Tel: (708) 526-0522 Fax: (708) 526-1174 Includes information on green marketing, professional associations, and publications. 120 International Institute for Sustainable Development
Slide 135: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Local Green Pages Many regions now publish a “Green Pages”, essentially a Yellow Pages directory for environmentally oriented products, services, and companies. Entrepreneurs may consider becoming listed in the Green Pages, and can potentially use them to identify local companies and retailers with which to do business. Natural Resources Canada Energy Efficiency Sector 580 Booth Street, 15th Floor Ottawa, ON K1A 0E4 Tel: (613) 995-2943 Fax: (613) 943-1590 Contact: Louise Gravelle This federal ministry publishes an annual EnerGuide that rates the energy consumed by various appliances. American Council for an EnergyEfficient Economy 1001 Connecticut Ave, NW, # 801 Washington, D.C. 20036 Tel: (202) 429-8873 Fax: (202) 429-2248 Contacts: Howard Geller, Executive Director Glee Murray, Publications Director Publishes the annual Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings, and other books and reports on energy efficiency technologies and programs. Free publications catalogue. Eco-Expo 14260 Ventura Blvd., Suite 201 Sherman Oaks, CA 91423 Tel: (818) 906-2700 Fax: (818) 906-0367 Contact: Marc Merson, President. North America’s largest combined consumer and industry trade exhibition for green products and services. Also sponsors The Green Business Conference, which hosts discussion panels on green industries and issues. Trade Shows Worldwide Published annually in November. $179. Gale Research Inc. 835 Penobscot Building Detroit, MI 48226-4094 Tel: (313) 961-2242 Toll-free: (800) 347-GALE or (800) 877-4253 Fax: (313) 961-6083 Toll-free fax: (800) 414-5043 Covers over 5,200 trade shows and exhibitions, as well as production companies, governmental sponsors, and facilities. Includes geographical, chronological, and subject indexes, including environmentally-oriented shows. Directories 121
Slide 136: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Green Marketing/Entrepreneuring Publications In Business: The Magazine for Environmental Entrepreneuring Six issues/year. The JG Press, Inc. 419 State Avenue Emmaus, PA 18049 Tel: (215) 967-4135 Fax: (215) 967-1345 Contact: Jerome Goldstein, Editor. Magazine specifically for ecoentrepreneurs. Covers marketing, sales, trends, industry updates and profiles. Subscription Price: US $29; Canada $31 (in US funds). The Environmental Entrepreneur: Where to Find the Profit in Saving the Earth 1992. 241 pp. Written by John Thompson. Longstreet Press Inc. 2140 Newmarket Parkway Suite 118 Marietta, GA 30067 Tel: (404) 980-1488 Fax: (404) 859-9894 122 International Institute for Sustainable Development
Slide 137: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Sales Leads for Green Procurement Sales to Government Agencies British Columbia Purchasing Commission Purchasing Services Branch 4000 Seymour Place, 2nd Floor Victoria, BC V8X 4Y3 Tel: (604) 389-3386 Fax: (604) 389-3370 Contact: Mr. W.D. Collisson, Executive Director Administrative Services Branch Ontario Ministry of the Environment 40 St. Clair Avenue West 8th Floor Toronto, ON M4V 1M2 Tel: (416) 314-4070 Fax: (416) 325-6362 Contact: Louis H.C. Leung, Senior Contract Consultant GIPPER Governments Incorporating Procurement Policies to Eliminate Refuse Chair: Mr. L. Pagano, Director of Purchasing and Material Supply Division Management Services Department City Hall, 100 Queen St., W. 18th Floor, West Tower Toronto, ON M5H 2N2 Tel: (416) 392-9111 switchboard Tel: (416) 392-7311 direct line Fax: (416) 392-0801 Vice-chair: Mr. G. Khan, Manager, Program Development and Review Purchasing Services Branch Management Board Secretariat, Ontario 6th floor, Ferguson Block Queen’s Park Toronto, ON M7A 1N3 Tel: (416) 326-1234 switchboard Tel: (416) 327-3580 direct line Fax: (416) 327-3573 The City of Toronto, Purchasing and Material Supply Division, has coordinated an information list of suppliers who claim they offer a wide range of goods and services that are environmentally sound, and which are available for sale throughout the country, as well as outside Canada.The directory is a joint effort initiated by ACCESS (Association of Canadian Cities on Environmentally Sound Strategies), supported by GIPPER, and distributed at cost by the City of Toronto, Purchasing and Material Supply Division. National Institute of Governmental Purchasing, Inc. 11800 Sunrise Valley Dr., Suite 1050 Reston,VA 22091 Tel: (703) 715-9400 Fax: (703) 715-9897 Contact: James Brinkman, Exec. Vice President Directories 123
Slide 138: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Membership limited to government purchasing agencies and their employees. Operates in the U.S. and Canada. National Association of State Purchasing Officials 167 West Main St., #600 Lexington, KY 40507 Tel: (606) 231-1963 Fax: (606) 231-1928 Contact: Jodie Spears, Program Manager Publishes guidebooks on how to effectively market to state governments, as well as a handbook of purchasing preference practices of each state. American City & County Municipal Index — The Purchasing Guide for City, Township, County Officials and Consulting Engineers Published annually in March. $52.95. Argus Business 6151 Powers Ferry Rd., NW Atlanta, GA 30339 Tel: (404) 618-0396 Fax: (404) 618-0476 Contact: Lisa Sutherland, Listings Editor While the majority of content consists of listings and advertisements of products and services for city governments, the guide also lists procurement officials, along with their addresses and phone numbers, in all U.S. cities with a population of 10,000 and above. 124 Environmental Protection Agency 401 M St., SW Washington, D.C. 20460 Tel: (202) 260-2090 directory assistance and personnel directory Tel: (202) 260-7751 public affairs information center Recycled content procurement guidelines for government agencies and contractors; voluntary programs to improve the efficiency of lighting, appliances, computer equipment, heating and cooling technologies, and plumbing fixtures; and voluntary pollution prevention programs. Executive Office of the President Office of Federal Procurement Policy New Executive Office Bldg. 725 17th St. NW, Room 9013 Washington, D.C. 20503-5802 Tel: (202) 395-5802 Fax: (202) 395-5105 Contact: Linda Mesaros, Deputy Associate Administrator Develops and promulgates policy and guidance for small and disadvantaged businesses on how to do business with the U.S. federal government. International Institute for Sustainable Development
Slide 139: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Council of Great Lakes Governors 35 East Wacker Drive Suite 1850 Chicago, IL 60601 Tel: (312) 407-0177 Fax: (312) 407-0038 Contact: Sheila Leahy, Deputy Director Cooperative purchasing of paper and other products among seven states. Environmental Products Guide 1994. General Services Administration Centralized Mailing List Service (7CAFL) P.O. Box 6477 Fort Worth,TX 76115-9939 Tel: (817) 334-5215 Fax: (817) 334-5227 Recycled Product Directory April 1993, Directory of Recycled Content Building and Construction Products January 1994, Clean Washington Center (A Division of the Department of Trade and Economic Development) 2001 6th Avenue, Suite 2700 Seattle, WA 98121 Tel: (206) 587-5520, publications (206) 464-7040, switchboard Fax: (206) 464-6902 Contact: Tom Yurovchak The Recycled Product Directory, for businesses and government agencies, features wholesalers and manufacturers who sell nearly 600 recycled content products, ranging from office supplies to fuels.The Directory of Recycled Content Building and Construction Products, for architects and builders, features wholesalers and manufacturers who sell nearly 500 recycled content products, ranging from concrete to furnishings. For government agencies and businesses seeking to increase their purchases of recycled Directories 125 Government Purchasing Guides and Directories Stock Item Supply Catalogue Public Works Government Services Canada 1010 Somerset St. Ottawa, ON K1A 0T4 Tel: (613) 952-8940 Fax: (613) 952-6140 Contact: Monica Henderson This office product catalogue for federal purchasing agents uses the EcoLogoM symbol to designate environmentally certified items. Directory of Environmentally Sound Products 1991. $50. Management Services Department Purchasing & Material Supply Division City Hall, 100 Queen St., W. 18th Floor, West Tower Toronto, ON M5H 2N2 Tel: (416) 392-7311 Fax: (416) 392-0801 Contact: Anne Carino, Analyst
Slide 140: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit content products, the Center also has samples of procurement policies.These policies include sample language for inclusion in product specifications and contract bids, sample preferential purchasing policies, and other information. Getting Started in Federal Contracting: A Guide through the Federal Procurement Maze 1987. $21.95. Panoptic Enterprises P.O. Box 11220 Burke, VA 22009-1220 Tel/Fax: (703) 451-5953 Toll-free: (800) 594-4766 Lists hundreds of government procurement offices and other federal offices which purchase from businesses. Includes products and services purchased, as well as territories of each office. Women Business Owners: Selling to the Federal Government 1993. Superintendent of Documents U.S. Government Printing Office Document Sales Service Washington, D.C. 20402-9325 Tel: (202) 512-1800 Fax: (202) 512-2250 Contains information on marketing products and services to government, including invitations for bids, RFPs, unsolicited proposals, etc. Government Prime Contracts Directory Published annually in February. $15. Government Contracts & SubContracts Leads Directory Published annually in March. $89.50. Government Data Publications, Inc. 1661 McDonald Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11230 Tel: (718) 627-0819 Toll-free: (800) ASK-GOVT Fax: (718) 998-5960 The Government Prime Contracts Directory covers contractors who have received contracts specifically requiring special treatment for small-businesses as sub-contractors. Includes index by zip code.The Government Contracts & Subcontracts Leads Directory lists companies that have received prime contracts during the previous 12 months. Commerce Business Daily Published daily by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Superintendent of Documents U.S. Government Printing Office Document Sales Service Washington, D.C. 20402-9325 Tel: (202) 512-1800 Fax: (202) 512-2250 126 International Institute for Sustainable Development
Slide 141: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Sales to Corporate Purchasers S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. 1525 Howe Street Racine, WI 53403 Tel: (414) 631-4728 Fax: (414) 631-2944 Contact: Cynthia Georgeson, Manager, Environmental Communications Worldwide Publishes semi-annual Partners newsletter to inform suppliers about the company’s environmental goals and objectives. Also published the global Environmental Progress Report and North America: The Environment: Public Attitudes and Individual Behavior. Xerox Corporation Executive Offices 3400 Hillview Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94303 Tel: (415) 813-7065 Fax: (415) 813-7811 Contact: Abhay K. Bhushan, Manager, Environmental Leadership Program General Motors Corporation North American Operations Containerization Mail Code P191 1 Pontiac Plaza Pontiac, MI 48340—2952 Tel: (810) 857-5482 Fax: (810) 857-6397 Contact: Kenneth J. Horvath, Senior Project Engineer G.M.’s WE CARE program has adopted a “zero-landfill”goal for all packaging received from suppliers. Directories 127 Environmental Business Guides and General Directories World Environmental Directory 1991. Business Publishers, Inc. 951 Pershing Drive Silver Spring, MD 20910 Tel: (301) 587-6300 Toll-free: (800) 346-3787 (within the U.S.) Toll-free: (800) 274-0122 (within Canada) Fax: (301) 585-9075 Contact: Bill Wade, Editor Eco-entrepreneurs may want to become listed in this directory. Included are product manufacturers; professional services; federal and state/provincial government agencies; independent agencies/commissions; professional, trade and public interest organizations and educational institutions; as well as corporate environmental officials. Each listing includes name, address, phone and fax numbers, and key personnel. A second edition is anticipated for 1995.
Slide 142: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Directory of Business to Business Catalogs 1995 Grey House Publishing, Inc. Pocket Knife Square Lakeville, CT 06039 Tel: (203) 435-0868 Toll-free: (800) 562-2139 Fax: (203) 435-0867 Contact: Leslie Mackenzie, Publisher & Editor Lists 5,500 catalogues in 35 product areas, from art to security. Dun & Bradstreet Million Dollar Directory Updated annually. Dun and Bradstreet, Inc., Dun’s Marketing Services 3 Sylvan Way Parsippany, NJ 07054 Tel.: (201) 455-0900 Fax: (201) 605-6930 Standard & Poor’s Register of Corporations Updated annually. Standard & Poor’s Corporation 25 Broadway New York, NY 10004 Tel: (212) 208-8000 Fax: (212) 208-0098 Thomas Register of American Manufacturers Updated annually. $210/set. Thomas Publishing Co. 5 Penn Plaza, 9th Floor New York, NY 10001 Tel: (212) 290-7277 Toll-free: (800) 638-7523, ext. 500 Fax: (212) 290-7365 U.S. Industrial Directory $179. 2000 S. Clearwater Drive Oak Brook, IL 60521-8806 Tel: (708) 574-7081 Fax: (708) 574-7080 Computer Databases 11 Million Businesses’ Phone Book $49. Published on CD ROM. Available at computer and software stores. American Business Information 5711 South 86th Circle Omaha, NE 68127 Tel: 402-593-4595 Fax: 402-331-6681 Canadian Business Information 495 King Street W., Suite 100 Toronto, ON M5V 1K4 Tel: 416-348-0255 Fax: 416-348-0260 Covers virtually every business’s name and phone number in the U.S. and Canada. BusinessLINE Donnelley Marketing Information Services 3135 Kifer Road Santa Clara, CA 95051 Tel: (408) 970-1847 Toll-free: (800) 866-2255 Fax: (408) 970-9999 Contact: David Cabello, Demographic Specialist 128 International Institute for Sustainable Development
Slide 143: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Canadian Corporations – CanCorp Micromedia Ltd. 20 Victoria St. Toronto, ON M5C 2N8 Tel: (416) 362-5211 Fax: (416) 362-6161 CD-ROM provides online access to over 8,000 Canadian companies, including private companies and Crown corporations. technical support, and publicity for the Green Retailing Association. Environmental Defense Fund 1875 Connecticut Ave., NW 10th Floor Washington, D.C. 20009 Tel: (202) 387-3500 Fax: (202) 234-6049 Contact: Richard Denison or 257 Park Avenue, South New York, NY 10010 Tel: (212) 505-2100 Fax: (212) 505-2375 Contact: John Ruston Coordinating a national, privatesector task force to increase the use of environmentally preferable paper and paperboard products. Works closely with leaders from a variety of industries to cost effectively improve environmental performance. Harmony Foundation 201A-45 Bastion Square Victoria, BC V8W 1J1 Tel: (604) 380-3001 Fax: (604) 380-0887 Contacts: Michael Bloomfield, Executive Director Katherine Ratcliffe, Institute Coordinator Publishes the Workplace Guide to help organizations improve environmental practices. Covers energy, hazardous materials, waste, water, transportation, purchasing, property management, education and training. Directories 129 Non-profit Organizations Co-op America Business Network 1612 K Street, NW, #600 Washington, D.C. 20006 Tel: (202) 872-5307 Toll-free: (800) 584-7336 Fax: (202) 331-8166 Internet: cabn@envirolink.org Contact: Russ Gaskin, Assistant Director Twelve hundred dues-paying business members whose companies have been screened for eligibility. Provides technical assistance and financial advice to members. Puts large and small member companies together for sourcing opportunities. Issued the Financing Guide for Socially Responsible Businesses. With Co-op America, it publishes the National Green Pages, which has 100 product categories; a catalogue featuring the products available from its smallest member companies; the Co-op America quarterly newsletter; and the Socially Responsible Financial Planning Guide. Provides advocacy,
Slide 144: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Buy Recycled Business Alliance National Recycling Coalition 1101 30th Street, NW, Suite 305 Washington, D.C. 20007 Tel: (202) 625-6406 Fax: (202) 625-6409 Contact: Phil Bailey The Alliance is a group of over 800 companies committed to increasing their purchases of products made from recycled content. It provides information and guidance to companies interested in establishing or expanding their inhouse Buy Recycled programs. Buy Recycled seminars are held throughout the United States and how-to materials are distributed free of charge. Member companies have increased their purchases of recycled content paper, plastic, packaging, and office supply products, and an increasing number are offering recycled content products to customers.There is no charge to join this organization. Canadian Buy-Recycled Alliance 35 Crescent Road Toronto, ON M4W 1T4 Tel: (416) 925-1583 Fax: (416) 925-2531 Contact: Wendy Cook Now in its formative stages, the Alliance will work to expand public and private sector markets for recycled-content products. Members will receive information on how to buy recycled and on the market availability of new recycledcontent products.They will also receive free or at-cost access to online product directories and training workshops. Membership fees will vary depending on the size of the organization and all members will be asked to commit to buying recycled whenever feasible. Publications Winning Combinations: Entrepreneurial Partnerships Between Large and Small Companies 1991. $24.95. Written by James Bokin and Jana Matthews. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1 Wiley Drive Somerset, NJ 08875 Tel: (908) 469-4400 Toll-free: (800) 225-5945 Fax: (908) 302-2300 or John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. 22 Worcester Road Rexdale, ON M9W 1L1 Tel: (416) 675-3580 Fax: (416) 675-6599 Gives cases and guidelines for establishing successful ventures with larger companies. The E Factor 1993. Written by Joel Makower. Tilden Press 1519 Connecticut Ave, NW Washington, D.C. 20036 Tel: (202) 332-1700 Toll-free: (800) 955-GREEN Fax: (202) 332-3028 130 International Institute for Sustainable Development
Slide 145: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Forty Ways to Make Government Purchasing Green 1992. Written by Eleanor J. Lewis and Eric Weltman. Center For the Study of Responsive Law P.O. Box 19367 Washington, D.C. 20036 Tel: (202) 387-8030 Fax: (202) 234-5176 The Green Partnership Guide: 12 Steps to Help Create an Environmentally Friendly Setting for our Guests, Ourselves, and Our Future 1992. Written by Warner Troyer. Canadian Pacific Hotels & Resorts 1 University Avenue, Suite 1400 Toronto, ON M5J 2P1 Tel: (416) 367-7111 Fax: (416) 863-6097 Business and the Environment Published monthly by Cutter Information Corp. 37 Broadway Arlington, MA 02174-5539 Tel: (617) 641-5125 Toll-free: (800) 964-5125 Fax: (617) 648-1950 Toll-free fax: (800) 888-1816. Contact: Kathleen M. Victory, Editor Subscription price US $497, outside North America, $597 per year. EcoOpportunities Published bi-monthly by the Environmental Business Network Project of the Peninsula Conservation Center 3921 East Bay Shore Road Palo Alto, CA 94303 Tel: (415) 962-9876 Fax: (415) 962-8234 Contact: Carol Lauffer, Editor Membership price $89 (US) for companies with less than 100 employees. Periodicals Green Business Letter Published monthly by Tilden Press 1519 Connecticut Ave, NW Washington, D.C. 20036 Tel: (202) 332-1700 Toll-free: (800) 955-GREEN Fax: (202) 332-3028 Contact: Joel Makower, Editor Management strategies, how-to advice, new products and trends related to corporate environmentalism. Introductory subscription price: US $127, Canada $132 (in US funds). Directories 131
Slide 146: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Environment Reporter Published weekly, and International Environment Reporter Published bi-weekly, by the Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. Circulation Department 9435 Key West Avenue Rockville, MD 20850 Tel: (202) 452-4200 Toll-free: (800) 372-1033 Fax: (800) 253-0332 (within the USA) Fax: (301) 294-6650 (outside the USA) Call for subscription prices. Environmental Digest BiWeekly and Recycling Canada Monthly Published by Sydenham Publishing 344 23rd Street West Owen Sound, ON N4K 4G7 Tel: (519) 371-6289 Fax: (519) 371-3676 Contact: Stella Coultas, Editor Subscription price: C$235 for 25 issues of Environmental Digest BiWeekly plus GST & PST; $110 for 12 issues of Recycling Canada Monthly. 132 International Institute for Sustainable Development
Slide 147: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Environmental Industry Associations United States Environmental Business Council of the United States, Inc. 31 Thorpe Road, Suite 202 P.O. Box 833 Needham, MA 02194-0006 Tel: (617) 449-5600 Fax: (617) 449-1132 Contacts: Donald Connors, President Martin Cohn, Communications Director Composed of a broad range of environmental technology and consulting firms throughout the United States, the Council sponsors a variety of educational and information-exchange meetings. It is working for improved market access and trade opportunities for environmental technologies. Referrals are provided to the rapidly growing number of Environmental Business Councils across the United States. New England Environmental Business Council of New England, Inc. 150 Federal Street 22nd Floor Boston, MA 02110-1726 Tel: (617) 737-0060 Fax: (617) 951-8736 Contact: Diana Coates, Executive Director California California Environmental Business Council 1855 Diamond Street, Suite 5-306 San Diego, CA 92109 Tel: (619) 581-0713 Fax: (619) 581-1280 Contact: Brian A. Runkel, Executive Director Canada Canadian Environment Industry Association 6 Antares Drive Phase l l, Suite 204 Nepean, ON K2E 8A9 Tel: (613) 723-3525 Fax: (613) 723-0060 Contact: G. Steve Hart, President Alberta Environmental Services Association of Alberta 250-10508 82nd Ave Edmonton, AB T6E 2A4 Tel: (403) 439-6363 Toll-free: (800) 661-WASTE Fax: (403) 439-4249 Contacts: L.B. (Sandy) Sutton, Executive Director Ken Armstrong, President Directories 133
Slide 148: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit British Columbia CEIA - BC 333 Dunsmuir Street Vancouver, BC V5H 4M2 Tel: (604) 590-7444 Fax: (604) 590-5347 Contact: Bill Dinsmore, President Manitoba Manitoba Environmental Industries Association Inc. 501 D, Weston Street P.O. Box 192, Station L Winnipeg, MB R3H 0Z5 Tel: (204) 775-6157 Fax: (204) 775-9381 Contacts: Shirley Seidel, Executive Director Michael Van Walleghem, President Newfoundland Newfoundland Environmental Industry Association Box 43, Atlantic Place Suite 602, 215 Water Street St John’s, NF A1C 6C9 Tel: (709) 722-3786 Fax: (709) 722-3879 Contacts: Elizabeth Atkinson, Executive Director David Robbins, President Ontario Canadian Environment Industry Association, Ontario Chapter 63 Polson St., 2nd Floor Toronto, ON M5A 1A4 Tel: (416) 778-6590 Fax: (416) 778-5702 Contact: Gary T. Gallon, President Quebec L’AESEQ (Association of Environmental Contractors of Quebec) 1400, rue Sauvé ouest Suite 232 Montreal, QC H4N 1C5 Tel: (514) 745-3580 Fax: (514) 745-3582 Contacts: Jean-Guy Laberge, Directeur Général Hans Gruenwald, President Saskatchewan SATMA/SWSAS (Saskatchewan Advanced Technology Management Association Inc./Special Waste Services Association of Saskatchewan) Sentar Consultants 300-333 25th Street E. Saskatoon, SK S7K 0L4 Tel: (306) 665-7655 Fax: (306) 665-3312 Contact: Don Somers, Executive Director 134 International Institute for Sustainable Development
Slide 149: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Mexico Two helpful directories: Listas de empresas que ofrecen servicios ambientales en México (A List of Businesses Offering Environmental Services) and Directorio Verde (A Directory of Green Non-governmental Organizations) are available from Dr. Edgar Gonzalez Gaudiano Director of Environmental Education Dirección General de Investigación y Desarrollo Technológico Instituto Nacional de Ecologia Río Elba No. 20—7 Piso Col. Cuauhtémoc 06500 México, D.F. Fax: (52) (5) 553-9753 Trade Shows The GLOBE Series The GLOBE Foundation of Canada Suite 504 - 999 Canada Place Vancouver, BC V6C 3E1 Tel: (604) 775-1994 Fax: (604) 666-8123 Contact: John D. Wiebe, President A biennial international conference and trade show focusing on business opportunities and the environment. Directories 135
Slide 150: EarthEnterprise™ Tool Kit Technology Assistance Organizations – Canada Federal Research Organizations Biotechnology Research Institute National Research Council 6100 Royalmount Avenue Montreal, QC H4P 2R2 Tel: (514) 496-6182 Fax: (514) 496-1575 Contact: Dr. Charles Greer, Group Leader, Environmental Section Areas of Specialty sands, coal and petroleum processing and products Energy Research Diversification Laboratory: alternative energy and hybrid systems, natural gas technologies, heat management technologies Mining Research Laboratories: safety, instrumentation, explosives Energy Efficiency Division: energy efficient systems Alternate Energy Division: alternate transportation fuels, renewable energy • • • • • biochemical, genetic and protein engineering Canada Centre for Mineral and Energy Technology (CANMET) Natural Resources Canada 555 Booth Street Ottawa, ON K1A 0G1 Tel: (613) 995-4267 Fax: (613) 995-3192 Contact: Keith Belinko, Director, Corporate Planning and Communications Policy, Planning and Services Branch Areas of Specialty • Energy Research Laboratories: synthetic fuels, carbonization research, combustion technology, conservation and efficiency, energy systems • Mineral Sciences Laboratories: chemistry and processing of ore • Metals Technology Laboratory: materials, corrosion, steel • Western Research Centre: tar 136 Environmental Technology Centre Environment Canada 3439 River Road Gloucester, ON K1A 0H3 Tel: (613) 991-5633 Fax: (613) 998-1365 Contact: D.E.Thorton, Director Areas of Specialty • technical, and research and development, support to pollution assessment and control programs, including federal regulatory initiatives • measurement of air pollutants in ambient air and emissions from mobile and stationary sources • analysis of organic and inorganic compounds in diverse sample matrices • forecasting and coordinating the chemical and biological test International Institute for Sustainable Development