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Brace yourself for a merry green Christmas
Fancy Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified venison instead of turkey for your Christmas dinner? Or how about growing your own Christmas tree in order to be environmentally friendly? Christmas, it seems, has gone green.
By Nick Morgan
That at least, is the conclusion of a new report on US shopping habits from Deloitte. They found that almost one in five US consumers will purchase more eco-friendly products this year, with a similar proportion pledging that they will be shopping with green retailers. A quick glance at shelves over here, both real and virtual, suggests UK retailers are thinking the same thing.“Many of the High Street shops and supermarkets are demonstrating their commitment to sustainabi
The tree itself is a prime example. The FSC recommend Norway Spruce trees grown on Forestry Commission sites, as these meet the strict environmental and social standards laid down by the charity. In particular they champion Elveden Farm in Suffolk, which grows more than 250,000 trees and is they are the main supplier of corporate and town centre display trees across England, Scotland and Wales.
But there are other alternatives. At online eco-suppliers Ectopia you can buy a kit to grow your own tree and decorate it with a solar powered Christmas rope light.
Christmas dinner can be green too. Apart from the FSC's venison, you can also buy ethically-sourced napkins and balloons, 100% recycled aluminium foil for roasting your bird and eco-baking paper for making Christmas cake. Furthermore, Marks & Spencer has opened a green online store from which it's aiming to sell around 30 million FSC certified Christmas cards along with a new range of gift wraps made from post-consumer waste.
In addition, publishers are falling over themselves to ensure that the books on sale this Christmas have their environmental credentials emblazoned for all to see. Hachette Livre, publisher of about a fifth of all books in the UK and the largest single publisher, has just announced a new environmental policy which commits them to making sure the paper they use will be forest-friendly.
Already the new offerings from Harry Potter and Gordon Ramsay have made no secret of the fact that they sport the FSC logo. But should they charge extra for doing so? Interestingly, the Deloitte survey found that 17 per cent of respondents would be willing to pay more for green gifts, with their commitment largely uniform across different age, gender and income groups.
"This issue is on shoppers' minds this year and is becoming more central to consumers' purchasing decisions," said Stacy Janiak, Deloitte's retail leader. "Savvy retailers are taking concrete steps to become more environmentally friendly and are incorporating this sensibility into their operations, as well as their customer communications."
One such retailer is Muji which is offering an entire range of eco-friendly Christmas decorations; and if you're looking for something with which to write your thank you letters, then look no further than Ectopia's elephant dung stationary set. It doesn't get much more natural than that.
The Responsible Retailing Summit 2008
Over 200 retailers have registered to attend our Responsible Retailing Summit to hear speakers from Asda, Marks & Spencer, Alliance Boots, Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd, Waitrose and John Lewis, Woolworths plc, DSG international plc, Lloydspharmacy, Co- operative Group, QVC UK, Monsoon Accessorize, Wyevale Garden Centres, Royal and Sun Alliance, Lush, Ipsos MORI, JBA, Eversheds LLP, Forum for the Future, Envirowise, Nottingham University Business School, The Body Shop.
In the light of so much consumer interest in your corporate social responsibilities and your green credentials, can you afford to miss it ?
Follow the link below for more information
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