Packaging is perhaps one of the most controversial practices as far as doing business today is concerned. We have seen a lot of companies vying to make eco-friendly moves. One company, Amazon, is being chided for its manner of packaging in delivering goods to its customers.

“To make matters worse, the books Amazon sent were not the correct books,” the site says. “Many of these examples of excessive packaging occur because of issues with communication and packaging logistics. Ordering systems may process orders of multiple items individually and generate packaging as if the orders were going to multiple locations.”

(Source) Seattle PI

Being an online selling site, Amazon is in a different category. However, they would be wise to check out how courier companies such as DHL have renovated their manner of packaging.

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Convenience stores such as 7-11 may soon find themselves operating under normal business hours. 24 hour operations have recently been under scrutiny because of superfluous energy consumption. Being able to pick something up from the store at all hours has its advantage, but with these hard times upon us, is it worth the wasted energy to be able to pick up a breakfast sandwich at 3am?

Operations on an around the clock strategy may be effective for some businesses, but it deserves a second look.

Extending hours of service may be good to serve the market but perhaps one thing that 24 hour convenience stores should look at is customer volume. If you don’t get customers at the graveyard times, why should you keep the shop open?

Debate is currently ongoing about whether they should be allowed to stay open round-the-clock, with some municipalities, including Saitama Prefecture, Tokyo and Kyoto, considering asking for voluntary curbs to all-night operations.

“We are considering asking (store operators in the prefecture) to voluntarily refrain from staying open 24 hours, although this is not limited to convenience stores,” said Hiroshi Ando, a Saitama official.

(Source) The Japan Times

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With all the recent headline attention on toy recalls, many of the big toy stores are thinking wisely and loading  their shelves with eco-friendly designed toys. Consumers are now trying to avoid the celebrated lead paint and globally dangerous toys of past,  which has simultaneously flung the doors open for eco-friendly toy manufacturers such as ImagiPlay.

Kids love toys. Kids live for toys. They are attracted to playthings like a fly to a light, although it eventually boils down to the colors, the features, and the child’s age. However, take into account the fact that the holiday season is just around the corner. Parents are more likely to consider safety first rather than glaring, bright colors and impressive features.

Millions of toys were recalled in 2007 because of worries about lead and other hazards. This year, big toy sellers have embraced stricter safety standards.

Some have gone even further. Touting “good green fun,” Toys “R” Us in March announced a line of “eco-friendly” toys, such as dolls made with organic cotton and an unpainted, battery-free wooden fire engine.

“When you see green toys at a place like Toys ‘R’ Us, you know it’s mainstream,” said Wendy Smolen, editorial director for Toy Wishes magazine.

(Source) AJC.com

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Packaging is normally the main focus of manufacturers and in the case of milk producers, going square was initially thought of adhering towards eco-friendly principles. Apparently not all people gave them the thumbs up for this.

While the new square shaped eco-friendly milk containers have allowed them to deliver them larger in numbers, it still remains that the end users may have some issues when they are at home. For most, it seems to be messy for the reason that it is hard to pour into a glass.

Others love it because it is a space saver since you can fit it better when you buy it and place it inside your refrigerators. But perhaps the issue of ease of use is something that they failed to consider. For sure revisions will be made by the milk companies after these feedbacks.

The new shape means you can fit more jugs the delivery truck, which is more eco-friendly, and saves fuel money. But some people say it’s awkward and tough to pour.

“At first I didn’t like the looks of it, I though, ‘oh well things are only changing,’ so I bought it and I used it right away and I thought, ‘gee I don’t like this,’” said Nancy Prelesnik. “I haven’t been back there to buy that milk…want my old, regular containers”.

Other consumers were keen on the new shape.

“I prefer this carton because I have a side by side refrigerator and it fits better in the door,” said Roxanne Rilo. “The regular milk cartons have a little bit more girth and they don’t fit as well in the door itself.”

(Source) CBS Chicago

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If you are among the millions of people looking for an ideal store to find eco-friendly and organic goods then wait for a Green Spot Store to open near your area. Applying the same concept that 7-Eleven has offered throughout the years, this new convenience store is expected to make waves and help boost the eco-friendly awareness that going green people are looking for today.

Owners want customers to regard Green Spot, with its seating and free Wi-Fi access, as less convenience store and more cafe. “We want people to come in and hang out,” Mr. Garza said.

Co-owner Bruce Bagelman bought a Volkswagen with a diesel engine but found that hunting down a gas station that sells the fuel was tough. So he sought out Mr. Garza, who had owned several Smoothie Factory shops, and the two collaborated on creating the eco-friendly business that also sells biofuels.

(Source) Dallas News

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McDonalds McCafé, its own version of serving the large demanding population of coffee lovers will be serving coffee harvested through its local farms under acclaimed eco-friendly conditions. A lot of coffee growers have started adopting this eco-friendly practice of raising own crops under environmentally friendly conditions and apparently McDonalds will start on their local area before slowly distributing the same coffee beans towards its large market in the world.

Global fast food giant McDonald’s recently announced that starting May of next year its McCafe outlets will be selling coffee made from beans grown under environmentally-friendly conditions.

In an effort to join the fast-spreading environmental corporate campaigns, McDonald’s will be selling brews made from coffee that was put through thorough inspection by a non-profit conservation organization Rainforest Alliance. This mandate would require the import of about 500 tonnes of coffee from various areas of South America, including Brazil and Colombia.

This coffee will replace those currently being sold in all the 484 McCafes in the country.

(Source) All Headline News

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The large number of boutiques and stores that have been opening one after another in most parts of the world is certainly a good sign for people who want to go eco-friendly. Unlike before, people do not really have an idea on where to buy eco-friendly goods although some existing stores insist that they are eco-friendly.

These boutiques offer a large range of consumer products from towels all the way to the eco-friendly made clothing that most people require today. While many are apprehensive on what these finishes may bring, it would be wise to check them out first before ultimately passing judgment on the level of green awareness that these eco-friendly boutiques have to offer.

Jessa Brinkmeyer said customers find that going green can be gorgeous in her eco-smart fashion boutique.

“When you walk in, you realize you don’t have to sacrifice anything in terms of style or fashion in order to be green,” she said. “People are pleasantly surprised and shocked about what is being done with these fabrics. It’s not boring and basic or uncomfortable and ugly – it’s beautiful and aesthetically pleasing. It’s like walking into any other boutique.”

(Source) Medill Reports Chicago

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Effective business practices today need the proper updates as far as latest trends in marketing and promotion is concerned. Among the leading indicators that can really boost the popularity of most companies and manufacturers today is adding that green certification and awareness that everyone is going crazy about.

Let us face it. Even if there are no real green benefits in products, companies will always use it as a flagship to make a sale. Some may call it cheating but as long as it works then why not? But bear in mind, things have weird ways of getting back at you, especially if you are using a technique that is meant to cheat your customers.

Consumers are also wary of corporate motivations for trumpeting green policies and initiatives, with 35% saying they think companies sponsor green initiatives for marketing purposes. According to TNS, this skeptical group includes a high proportion of highly educated, Internet-savvy, high-income males on both coasts.

(Source) Marketing Daily

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It was a year ago today, that Starbucks went naked, and created MyStarBucksIdea, a site where customers could go and tell SB how to improve. Uncensored and completely open to all suggestions, this site rocks. Are you willing to get naked, too?

Starbucks Did It, And You Can Too

The site has already propelled two major ideas to come to life, FREE Wi-Fi and FREE Coffee for Frequent Buyers, which are both set to take place in Spring 2008. I personally feel this idea is brilliant, and am really surprised more companies aren’t doing it. The feedback provided would be invaluable to you and the future growth of your enterprise.

How StarBucks Does It

The site created by Starbucks allows for registered users to voice their opinion, while others get to vote on said ideas. So the most popular ideas are the ones SB concentrates on. According to Lorna Li, who writes on green marketing, not surprisingly so, many of the ideas and issues that customers are adding to the SB site are green related.

How could your green business do something like this? What do you think your customers have to tell you?

Are you willing to get naked (as in, be completely vulnerable) and offer up an open forum where your customers could speak freely to you and voice ideas. Like Starbucks.

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Yesterday was Buy Nothing day in the US and internationally it is “Buy Nothing Day” today, but with only a few weekends until Xmas has this been a success of failure?

To date I have heard nothing about it, and I can confirm that the stores here in the UK are pretty busy, as part of the war on consumerism but really at this time of the year is this really going to work?

Maybe a change of date may be a great idea!

Source [Hippy Shopper]

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