October/08: Businesses are entering the green marketplace at breakneck speed to keep pace with customer and societal demands to reduce their environmental and social impacts. But it’s no small feat. While there are clear business opportunities in the green economy, there are limited roadmaps and few established rules, hidden twists and turns to pushing a green agenda.
There are the added pressures of catering to the whims of customers who want to buy green, but don’t; countering consumer skepticism; struggling with changing supply chains; and overcoming organizational hurdles. So, how can a company succeed in a world gone green?
Joel Makower is one of today’s most sought-after green business strategists dubbed “the guru of green business practices” by The Associated Press. He’s been advising start-ups and Fortune 50 giants for more than two decades. In STRATEGIES FOR THE GREEN ECONOMY, Makower distills his years of advisory experience, and offers insights and inspiration for understanding and untangling the complexities and controversies of profiting in the growing green economy.
Through real-life stories and first-hand experiences, Makower raises and answers complicated, fascinating, and resonant questions about the realities of greening your business. Whether catering to a shade of green customer (and there are many), or understanding what constitutes a “good enough” green company, whether selling everything from cars to coffee or determining when to lead the market and when to follow it, Makower’s engaging and realistic approach helps show the way.
STRATEGIES FOR THE GREEN ECONOMY systematically tackles the central issues and hurdles of greening your business:
·What does it take to be seen as an environmental leader?
·What elements contribute to “good” green in the marketplace?
·What are the standards, implicit or explicit, that you must meet to be green?
·How do you communicate what your business is doing right – and what it’s not?
·How can you circumvent consumer, media, and activist distrust?
·How can your company be heard amid the “green noise” in the marketplace?
·What are the new opportunities emerging for companies in the green opportunity?
Makower drills down into consumers’ complex (and often hypocritical) attitudes on buying green, and the dangers of “greenwashing,” a term levied on companies viewed as disingenuous in creating a green image. He shows how companies have profitably integrated green thinking into their operations in a way that creates business value – and how others have failed.
Comprised of nearly 40 fast-paced chapters, the book offers anecdotes and case studies exploring the successes, failures, trends, and occasional absurdities of companies trying to prosper in the green economy. Personal stories take readers inside some of the best-known companies and brands, including Clorox, Coca Cola, General Motors, Patagonia, Starbucks, Stonyfield Farms and Wal-Mart.
Makower concludes that although the green economy is complex, there are enormous opportunities for success. Approached intelligently and with integrity, a company can create lasting value that benefits its shareholders, employees, customers, and the planet.