Monday, June 25, 2007

How green is Home Depot's Eco Options?

There's a good article on the NY Times website today (free registration required) on Home Depot's Eco Options marketing campaign in which the retailer is working with the manufacturer's whose products it sells to identify the most sustainable options.

The Times reports that some environmentalists are claiming Home Depot is too inclusive and not doing enough itself to make green claims. Sierra Club and Natural Home magazine executives were quoted in making a good point about the current "mad scramble" by companies to make green claims for their products in the face of rapidly-rising consumer interest, and how confusing the variety of claims can be.

While it's good to have the environmental nonprofits watchdogging these types of efforts as green marketing continues its hot mainstreaming streak, it sounds like a sincere effort on Home Depot's part that will help its many customers make better, more sustainable choices. These types of programs will certainly be far from perfect - but they will improve over time as the Fortune 100 and the rest of the business world respond to consumer demand for more sustainability processes and options.

The fact that HD's rejecting the vast majority of manufacturer claims to greeness and is working with independent Scientific Certification Systems is encouraging. SCS audits and certifies company claims, grading a product based on its environmental record over its entire life cycle — including the sustainability of its production process, its efficiency and longevity, and how it can be recycled when it is no longer useful.

Posted by Perry Goldschein
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