As I’ve noted before, thinking green is no longer a nice to consider option, it is now a price of entry attribute for just about every category. Witness today’s article in the New York Times on Home Depot’s new line of eco-friendly products called Eco Options:
Home Depot today will introduce a label for nearly 3,000 products, like fluorescent light bulbs that conserve electricity and natural insect killers, that promote energy conservation, sustainable forestry and clean water.
The initiative — which is expected to include 6,000 products by 2009, representing 12 percent of the chain’s sales — would become the largest green labeling program in American retailing and could persuade competitors to speed up their own plans.
Since green doesn’t always translate to green at the cash register, Home Depot is giving is Eco Options line of products prime shelf space and pricing the products competitively:
Mr. Jarvis said Home Depot found that “given the option of a product that performs just as well, we are seeing the consumer would rather buy something that has less of an impact on the environment,†adding, “We are just making that easier.â€
The company said it had asked suppliers to produce Eco Option goods at the same prices as conventional merchandise. But it acknowledged that some products would be more expensive at the cash register, even if consumers are likely to save money over time — as in the case of the energy-efficient light bulbs.
One of the trickier parts of any green initiative is determining what is “green” and what isn’t. Home Depot is smartly turning to third parties to help in this area:
Merchandise can qualify for the new line in two ways. It either meets widely accepted federal and industry standards, like the Energy Star or the Forest Stewardship Council certification process, or its environmental claims are tested and validated by an outside company, Scientific Certification Systems. Ultimately, Home Depot, rather than a third party, determines what products will receive an Eco Options label.
There is, for example, a silicone window and door sealant from General Electric that improves the energy efficiency of heating and cooling systems and reduces greenhouse-gas emissions from coal-burning electricity plants. Another product is a glass cleaner from OdoBan that has low levels of volatile organic compounds, vapors linked to health problems. And organic plant food from Miracle-Gro uses no harsh chemicals that imperil water supplies.
If Home Depot and Wal-Mart, two of America’s largest retailers, are going green, then surely this is not a passing fad or a “nice to have” option for other marketers. As more and more Home Depot shoppers experience green products especially those that offer competitive value and performance, green will become like fluoride in toothpaste, a price of entry attribute which is expected across multiple product and service categories. Canadian Home Depot shoppers have already responded favorably. Surely American shoppers won’t be too far behind their northern neighbors.