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Earth Day Turns 40
Tuesday, 23 Apr, 2010
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Is it possible it’s been four decades since the notion of green marketing first dawned in America? Indeed it is, and Thursday marks the 40th birthday of Earth Day. Writes Sheila Shayon in BrandChannel
The now iconic Keep America Beautiful "Crying Indian" ad (WATCH HERE) debuted in 1971 with a close-up on a single tear traversing the cheek of Iron Eyes Cody. It was the first environmental commercial.
Marketers have been on the green bandwagon ever since, but has it really made a difference? Ad Age recently took a comprehensive look at the noise, the facts, and the scorecard.
It’s a complicated ecosystem of production, consumption, recycling and waste and we are far from getting it right. Consider the single fact that 40 years ago, the notion of a disposable economy fueled by products like baby wipes, diapers, Lysol cleaning cloths, Swiffer, Lunchables and Go-Gurt, was non-existent.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, per-capita solid waste rose to 4.5 pounds, a 35% increase from 1970 to 2008. An increase in recycling kept net per capita waste close to flat, declining 1% to 3 pounds, an impressive accomplishment in an increasingly disposable world…but an ongoing battle to stay flush.
Perhaps more significant than per capita ebb and flow in waste management has been the evolution in marketing and agency mindsets. "The whole notion of sustainable consumption [was] anathema to the old-agency world," commented Adam Webach, CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi. "You [now] actually think about selling differently rather than more."
In a snapshot of this complex ecosystem, some key factors include: the recycling of disposable products has remained fairly steady and even, but food waste doubled to 31.8 million tons between 1994 and 2008; appliances of all kinds but especially electronics are an escalating problem; print media, packaging and non-durable products fell to 49% from 59% in the same 14-year span.
The automotive industry has helped contain greenhouse emissions and improved fuel efficiency, but the steady rise in tires and their disposable is increasingly problematic.
At the end of the day, escalating efforts by government, consumers, and marketers, have positively impacted the steady rise of environmental pillage since the green movement began, but a reversal of the damage has not yet taken hold.
"It’s hard to give [the industry] a good grade in light of the fact that we face the worst environmental problem we’ve ever faced with climate change," continued Webach. "So in that sense, we’re not doing very well still. But I think the forward outlook is very sunny."
Ad Age’s list of top green marketing milestones includes: removal of phosphates from detergents; packaging reductions; the rise of green megabrands, organics and green retail; Energy Star; "An Inconvenient Truth;" Walmart’s sustainability efforts; Toyota Prius and the demise of the Hummer.
The official Earth Day website offers information and actionable tools – as well as an impressive roster of who’s involved this year. With 20,000 global partners in 190 countries (including Disney, which will release its stunning Oceans film worldwide on Earth Day), an estimated 1 billion participants are poised to make this the largest secular civic event to date.
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