Going green is good for business as well as the planet, but how green do you need to be to promote it as part of your branding?
When eco-friendly became a buzz-word, plenty of enterprising New Zealanders were quick to raise the green flag. However, a number of businesses jumped on the eco-friendly marketing bandwagon without following sustainable practices.
In response, the New Zealand Government developed an Eco Labels system to authenticate sustainability claims made by businesses in New Zealand.
A directory of the various Eco Labels was established to help businesses identify relevant categories of trusted green business practices.
Click here to download the Eco Label Directory
Types of Eco Labels
There are now over 200 Eco Labels and authenticated stamps used by businesses in New Zealand. Each one indicates an environmentally friendly or sustainable attribute of a company, or its products or services.
Eco Labels are divided into different categories to indicate whether they focus on an aspect of product performance – such as energy efficiency or fair trade – or measure the environmental impact over the entire life cycle from manufacture right through to recycling and disposal.
Companies wanting to make sustainability claims will need to understand the differences between them to select an appropriate category and meet the standards required.
Advantages of Eco Labelling
Eco Labels as a marketing tool allow companies following genuine sustainable practices to distinguish themselves for their green tendencies. The endorsement of the label enables them to specify a minimum standard to their suppliers and partners while promoting their values to the public.
Eco Labels also help buyers looking for environmentally and socially ethical products to identify them more readily. An Eco Label can carry the weight of a complex environmental report for a member of the public or a retail buyer who wouldn’t necessarily have the time or understanding to plough through the data.