Coke and the WWF's CO2 Eating Billboard

The WWF has collaborated with Coca-Cola since 2007, together they have focused on freshwater conservation, including Coke's agricultural supply chain. The two work together on action plans aimed at mitigating risks to some of the world’s most important freshwater basins and watersheds that are threatened by dams, pollution and damaged habitat.

Coca-Cola is also working with the WWF to render its advertising message in an environmentally appropriate medium. On June 23, the World Wildlife Federation and Coca-Cola unveiled a billboard in the Philippines that actually eats CO2.

The 60 x 60 foot living billboard in Manila is made of thousands of Fukien tea plants and was created in conjunction with Coca-Cola Philippines’ Live Positively sustainability program. The billboard is shaped in the iconic outline of a coke bottle and written across it is the statement ‘This billboard absorbs air pollutants.'

“We are proud that we have brought to life the first plant billboard in the country. It is an embodiment of our company’s Live Positively commitment to making a positive difference in the world by incorporating sustainability into everything that we do. With this, we hope to inspire Filipinos to join us in our journey, because we know that together, we can make a positive impact,” stated Guillermo Aponte, president of Coca-Cola Philippines.

The billboard is using pots made from recycled bottles that contain 3,600 trees, which live off a mixture of organic fertilizers. The novel advertising employs an efficient drip irrigation system which saves water and fertilizer. Each of the 3,600 trees on the billboard can absorb up to 13 pounds of CO2 a year. When fully grown, the billboard will absorb a total of 46,800 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Greener Cars and Social Media

Automakers are seeing the value of social media to promote greener cars. Toyota, Tesla, Nissan and Ford are all using new media to pitch their hybrid and fully electric cars. The interactive format provided by social media give these companies the ability to communicate information and interact with consumers.

Toyota announced a line of new Priuses using social media and Toyota executives answered questions about the new models of Priuses via Twitter. The company also made announcements via livestream on the company’s website. In 2010, Toyota announced the release of six new hybrids with a tweet.

Nissan has a Twitter feed for its electric Leaf and electric car company Tesla used its blog to announce the completion of a working prototype of the company’s 2012 all-electric Model S sedan. Instead of more traditional marketing, Tesla used three high-quality videos that showed a walk-through of the car’s engineering.

Ford has established itself as a leader in social media marketing. With more than 20,000 Twitter followers, Ford has four times the number of GM's Twitter followers. Ford's new Fiesta, introduced contests for YouTube, which drew thousands of submissions, gained Twitter followers and generated a healthy dose of blog and news coverage. Ford has almost 250,000 videos on YouTube, while GM has a bit more than 13,000. Ford's presence on YouTube has also carried over into Flickr.

Ford was also recognized as an automotive leader by marketing research firm Virtue. They published their annual list known as the Virtue 100, which covers the 100 most-discussed brands in America compiled using these five criteria:

1. Social networking (which brands are being shared)
2. Video sharing (which videos from which brands are being viewed and shared)
3. Status updates (which brands are being tweeted and included in updates -- and how strong is each sharer's influence)
4. Photo sharing (which photos are being passed around)
5. Blogs (general mentions in the blogsphere, including comments)

Ford is at the top of this list because Scott Monty (Head of Social Media for Ford) is working hard to give the company a dominant social media presence. However, Ford is followed closely by prestige brands Mercedes and BMW. With its line-up of fuel efficient and hybrid vehicles, Ford jumped 13 places over last year, while the ratings of gas guzzling Ferrari, fell.

Social media is a powerful form of interactive marketing that can spike awareness and help build brand affinities in a more cost effective way. Social media is clearly an increasingly integral part of car marketing that is garnering considerable attention, particularly for auto brands that have a green focus.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Sustainable Furniture at the Las Vegas Market

The Las Vegas Market, is a premiere furniture show taking place from January 24 to 27, 2011, in the Market Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show is frequented by buyers, designers and industry professionals from around the world. This year's show will feature green business strategies.

The Las Vegas Market includes seminars which are categorized into tracks. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) will offer several programs and events focused on sustainable home furnishings and education. The Sustainable Furnishing Council (SFC) is also sponsoring programming.

On on Tuesday, Jan. 25, there will be three educational sustainable furniture seminars presented by the SFC. The first is "2010 Consumer Survey Results" presented by Jeff Hiller, SFC president. It will take place between 10:00 am - 11:00 am in building C, C336. The second is "Luxury Green Design" will be presented by Lori Dennis, SFC DESIGNINGreen Leader & author of Green Interior Design. It will take place between 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm in building C, C-332. The third is "Selling "Green" Truthfully and Legally," subtitled What consumers Want to know and Retailers, Manufacturers and Suppliers Need to Know! This seminar will be presented by Vicki Worden, of Worden Associates. It will take place between 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm in building C, C-336

On Thursday, Jan. 27, GREENleaders, Certified Sustainability Training, will be taught by Jeff Hiller, SFC president from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm in building C, C-324. Register HERE. See the full calendar of events and seminars.

SFC members exhibiting at the 2011 Winter Las Vegas Market include:

Anatomic Global Inc. www.ecomemoryfoam.com C-1584
Asian Art Imports www.asianartimports.com B-0201-37
Bassett Mirror Company www.bassettmirror.com B-1166
Cambridge Mills www.harden.com B-200-23
Copper Instincts (formerly Manana Export) www.copperinstincts.com C1376E/F
Creative Elegance www.creativeelegance.com B-0670
Cresent Enterprises, Inc. www.cresent.com C-1138
Elite Leather www.eliteleather.com A-0925
Diamond Mattress www.diamondmattress.com C-1328
Fairmont Designs www.fairmontdesigns.com A754
French Heritage www.frenchheritage.com C-0156G.
Romano, Inc. www.gromano.com B-0201-19
Gat Creek www.gatcreek.com B-0158
GrassRoots www.grassrootsimports.com B-0168
Greenington LLC www.greenington.com B-0251-12
Harden Furniture www.harden.com B-200-23
Home Trends & Design Ltd. www.htddirect.com B-0155
Kathy Ireland Home by Omnia Furniture www.omnialeather.com A256, A242, A238]
Lorts www.lorts.com C-0188
Mountain Woods Furniture www.mountainwoodsfurniture.com C1376M/
NNatura World www.naturaworld.com A-0946
Palecek www.palecek.com A132
Phillips Collection, The www.phillipscollection.com C-0184, C-0140,A202
Rowe Fine Furniture, Inc. www.rowefurniture.com C-1305
Simply Amish www.simplyamish.com C-1140
Southern Enterprises www.seidal.com B-0846
Specialty Sleep Association www.sleepinformation.org C-1350
The Futon Shop www.thefutonshop.com A-716
Twin-Star Intl. ClassicFlame/Tresanti www.classicflame.com A548
Universal Bedlegs, Inc. www.universalbedlegs.com A836
Vaughan-Bassett Furniture Company B-1080
Western Home Furnishings Assn. www.whfa.org C-488, C-496


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The State of the Sustainable Furniture Industry

While the furniture industry has made great strides in recent years, there are major impediments preventing the industry from going green. This was illustrated at the recent Canadian Home Furnishing Market (TCHFM) trade show that took place in Toronto, Canada between January 14 and 18, 2011. TCHFM is the oldest and most prestigious furniture trade fair in Canada and although it is a showcase for upcoming trends, with very few exceptions, green furniture was conspicuously absent at this year's show.

The trade show revealed that while the furniture industry may be getting greener, increased costs, a slow economy, consumer ignorance, and the absence of American legislation are making it harder for furniture manufacturers to go green.

One sustainable furniture manufacturer that was present at the TCHFM trade show was Greenington LLC. They manufacture a wide range of highly aesthetic quality furniture using only Moso bamboo which is stronger and harder than Oak. From processing the raw bamboo to the final product, they are ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified. With more than 14 years experience, they are the leading sustainable furniture company in the industry.

With the exception of companies like Greenington, there was very little green on display at the TCHFM trade show. The sad truth is that most furniture manufacturers are not very green. At the show, some manufacturers voiced the concern that if they market green furniture, they will be accused of greenwashing due to the fact that others aspects of their furniture manufacturing are not very green.

Two primary certification boards help the furniture industry manage the issues surrounding environmental sustainability:

1. The Sustainable Furnishing Council (SFC) provides clarification and resources on furniture that is green, eco-friendly, environmentally safe and sustainable. SFC is the number one organization in green furnishings, it is a non-profit coalition of suppliers, manufacturers, retailers, and designers formed to promote sustainable practices with the best networking and education in the industry.

Their education programs include GREENleaders Certified Sustainability Training program which is offered as a live 6-hour program at various locations. This is the most comprehensive training program available in green home furnishings, it provides manufacturers, reps, retailers and designers with the knowledge and credentials to become experts in sustainability.

SFC also provides searchable resources to:
Find a green manufacturer
Find a green retailer
Find a green designer

2. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) helps to reduce the environmental impact of harvesting wood including furniture made from wood. This organization reduces habitat destruction, water pollution and the displacement of indigenous peoples due to logging. Members who have earned FSC certification improve the practice of forestry by reducing the negative impact of logging through managing and protecting forests. Products bearing the FSC logo, guarantee that the wood is from a certified well-managed forest.

FSC also provides searchable resources to
Find FSC-certified products
Find FSC retailers
Find FSC certificate holders

The efforts of the SFC and the FSC have proven insufficient on their own. Furniture manufactures indicate that they are waiting for legislation before they go green, while at the same time they decry the new green standards introduced in California.

California has adopted new regulations that restrict the use of formaldehyde in particle boards used in furniture construction. Formaldehyde is widely used in particle boards but the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified formaldehyde as carcinogenic to humans. California's Air Resources Board (ARB) found that one of the major sources of exposure to formaldehyde is from composite wood products like particle boards.

In California new emission standards were implemented on January 1, 2009, they reduce formaldehyde emissions from furniture and other composite wood products.

These new rules have significantly increased costs for manufacturers. According to one manufacturer at the TCHFM trade show, the new emissions standards have increased their costs by approximately 6%. The same manufacturer noted that consumers are oblivious to the increased cost of manufacturing as well as the new composite wood product rules.

Increased costs are causing many manufacturers to resist the trend towards more environmentally responsible furniture, however California may offer a glimpse into the future of furniture manufacturing.

The best way to move forward is to help the sustainable furniture industry grow so that it can benefit from economies of scale, (reduced cost of production due to mass production). Both manufacturers and retailers can help grow the sustainable furniture market by educating themselves as well as consumers.

Perhaps most importantly, legislation is required to mandate these standards on a national level. However, furniture manufacturers that wait for legislation risk being punished in the marketplace if they are perceived as coming to the table too late.


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