Small Steps to Green

“As green moves from niche to the mass markets, consumers are less willing to pay a premium,” said Holly Heline Jarrell of GfK Custom Research North America during her keynote presentation at Good And Green® in 2009. “Green is becoming an expectation for products, not just another product attribute.” Which could quite possibly be one of the reasons why Marcal® is steadily growing its market share with consumers. In addition to being competitively priced, Marcal products are good for the environment—having been made from recycled paper since the 1950s. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until 2008 that this do-good message began resonating with consumers. “Price and performance are often the obstacles to why consumers fail to ‘go green’ with their purchases,” says MJ Jolda. Senior Vice President of Marketing for Marcal® Small Steps®. “We were already leaders in those two categories, we just needed to reinforce the environmental benefits of our products—benefits that had been there since the 1950s.”

In 2008, Marcal launched its Marcal Small Steps initiative which primarily targets the “light green” mom consumer. “We discovered that most moms really want to be more green, but need easy and affordable ways to incorporate those green behaviors into their everyday lives. Our message was simple: Help save the planet just by purchasing our products.” From print ads and Sunday circulars to TV campaigns and social media engagement, Marcal Small Steps is using some very traditional marketing techniques to promote their good and green message. “This fall, we are embarked on an outdoor campaign in the Northeast that proclaims Marcal Small Steps as the sponsor of ‘fall foliage’,” says Jolda. “We are on a mission to show moms just how impactful their purchases can be—not only for their pocketbooks, but for the planet.”

As Jolda states, household paper goods is often a very low interest category for consumers and is one that often causes confusion regarding exactly what being “environmentally friendly” really means. In an effort aimed at transparency and education, Marcal Small Steps has added an Environmental Facts panel to the front of each of its products. Similar to popular nutrition facts panels found on food products, the Environmental Facts label points out what does – and does not – go into Marcal Small Steps products, and the products’ environmental impact. As seen in recent Good And Green® E-ssentials stories, providing an “eco-index” for consumers is becoming the norm for products of various categories, including Timberland. who recently expanded its Green Index® to all of its branded footwear, and Whole Foods, who just launched an in-store color-coded sustainability-rating program for wild-caught seafood.

“Brands need to step up to educate consumers about this issue and what their options are for products that deliver on price, performance and the planet,” said Jolda. “Our Environmental Label is about helping consumers to easily make environmentally sound purchasing decisions.”

See how other brands are educating consumers about their sustainability efforts during the 2011 Good And Green®-The Green Marketing Conference, May 11 & 12, at Hearst Tower in NYC.

4th Good And Green® to Take Place May 11-12, 2011

Save the date! The 4th Good And Green®, Presented by TheDailyGreen.com and Good Housekeeping Green Seal will take place May 11 & 12, 2011, at the LEED Gold-Certified Hearst Tower in New York City.

Visit the conference website for updates on speakers, sponsors and the event schedule.

Speaker and sponsorship opportunities are still available. Nan McCann at 860-724-2649 x13 for more information.