Shades of Green

A business adviser and problem solver, Gail is managing director of Business Strategies Etc., which provides strategic marketing and business planning services and manages the execution of marketing communications tactics that help companies:
• Define their sustainability strategies,
• Deliver a positive, sustainable image,
• Gain credibility, trust and respect, and
• Measure the results of their green initiatives and actions.

Gail is a nationally recognized speaker on a wide range of subjects and brings enthusiasm and a unique blend of experience to the podium. As an industry analyst and journalist contributing to publications in the United States, Canada, India and Brazil, she has covered a number of beats, particularly sustainability in printing and mailing, print on demand, variable data printing and direct mail.

Now that you’re on the path to becoming a truly sustainable printer, here are a few thoughts about how to reach that goal and some metrics that may help you tell when you’ve arrived. Environmental Leader publishes a quarterly “Environmental & Energy Data Book” full of charts and graphs presenting environmental, sustainability and energy-related data.

Successful companies are good at generating profitable ideas, yet they often overlook business opportunities that can be found within fundamental societal issues. It is in the root causes of those issues that new competitive advantages may be found.

As print service providers, knowing the issues your customers face will help you better solve their problems. Your customers’ customers—consumers—look differently at environmentally friendly products depending where they fall on the green continuum. Until green products and services feel normal, the middle is unlikely to change behavior.

School may be out for our kids, but it’s never out for business owners and managers. Here is a short reading list to help you along the path to sustainability. Summer reading, anyone?

The authors of a new report just released by the Rochester Institute of Technology have concluded that there’s a lot of activity going on in the printing industry regarding sustainable practices. That’s good news. The bad news? There’s a lot more that needs to be done.

The bad news is that conventional marketing is out. The good news is, green marketing—or “sustainable branding,” if you prefer—is in. Green marketing is an over-arching strategy that extends to all corporate functions, rather than a series of tactics.

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