Innovation Watch: Buygreen.com and green consumption

by Nathaniel Whittemore · 2008-10-30 06:25:00 UTC
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Yesterday’s announcement that Starbucks would be doubling their purchase of Fair Trade Certified coffee was powerful in part because it was a joint announcement with TransFair USA, one of the most important certification companies in the United States. (In fact, they actually wrote some additional thoughts to Change.org's Zarah). TransFair exists to make sure that products that claim to be Fair Trade actually meet the standards of price and process the movement requires. It exists to make sure that improving standards for producers isn’t just a cynical marketing strategy.

One of the great worries with the dramatic mainstreaming of the language of “green” products is that there will be widespread “greenwashing.” Greenwashing is when companies begin to label their products more environmentally friendly and sustainable without actually offering anything different than before, simply to grab market share. With innovative green startups creating new products and services every day, how do consumers know which companies are legit?

TriplePundit.com wrote an article yesterday about online marketplace BuyGreen.com, which has attempted to create a transparent set of standards around Source Material, Manufacturing, Use, and Recycling. What the company has found is that other companies are increasingly asking them for some sort of certification sticker that they could put on their products, as a quality seal. This seems like a great step in improving the quality of green product marketplaces.

Are there other, similar things out there?

Nathaniel Whittemore is the founder of Assetmap. Previously he was the founding director of the Northwestern University Center for Global Engagement.
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