by Nextlife's Jeffrey Rosenholtz

While infinitely more busy, the NextLife “Green Guru” is as trusted a source of advice to the Housewares industry and their consumers as the Maytag Repairman was for so many years. Want to implement sustainable business initiatives that maximize your bottom line, while minimizing your environmental impact? Want to enhance the value of your brand, while differentiating yourself among the competition? The NextLife “Green Guru” is here to help, and here’s a few important tips to get you started:

1. Make sure any and all sustainability initiatives are aligned with the core business goals of your company.

• The last thing you want is to propose something that’s not seen as carrying value to your organization.
• Try and mesh your sustainability initiatives with the culture of your company, your CEO and your employees.
• Develop a solid business case for planned sustainability initiatives, including, if possible, the financial return (as we’ve moved well beyond the days of “green” being synonymous with philanthropy).
• Truly understand what your customers expect / want as it relates to “green” initiatives.

2. Define the scope of your sustainability initiatives / plan.

• Is it for a single product or product line?
• Will you be assessing just one part of your mfg. process or your entire supply chain?
• How will you handle overseas mfg?
• Have you considered product packaging?
• What part will your distribution centers or warehouses play in your sustainability plan?
• Is there a corporate HQ / back-office component to your sustainability strategy?
• Quick “wins” are always important to the long-term success of any sustained plan (e.g., a corp. recycling effort – whether cans, paper or batteries – is a great way to not only save the company money right off the bat, but get a large part of the organization involved early on).

3. Get corporate “buy-in” and identify one point-person before you move ahead with your sustainability plan.

• Once you have a “green” light, it’s imperative that there is one person leading / managing this initiative.
• However, it’s just as imperative that a representative from all other critical departments within the organization – e.g., HR, IT, finance and a sr. executive – be identified.
• But, most importantly, get as many people in your entire organization involved as possible. Everyone has opinions and thoughts when it comes to protecting our planet – so create a suggestion box (an actual one and one virtually), have brainstorming sessions, create contests, etc. – you’ll be amazed at the way everyone will want to attack this initiative for the betterment of your company, their families and the Earth.

4. Don’t be afraid to ask for help…there are plenty of companies and organizations, outside of yours, that specialize in sustainability and/or environmental protection.

• You’re a mfg. and/or distributor of housewares products…that’s what you do best. Whereas there are other companies, consultants and organizations (e.g., NGO’s) that “do” sustainability and/or environmental protection best. So, leverage their knowledge, insights, solutions, connections, etc. to your advantage.
• Further, working with an “arms-length,” third-party often provides that critical, independent validation of your meaningful sustainability initiatives (i.e., “Thou shalt not tout thy own ‘greenness’” or, to put it another way, stakeholders, retailers and consumers are becoming have been burned before and, as such, are leery of self-purported company sustainability initiatives).

5. Most importantly, DO SOMETHING…ANYTHING!

• Sustainability is NOT an all or nothing proposition. In fact, no company or organization can really ever be 100% sustainable or “green.” So, don’t let that stop you. Tackle one or two things first, if necessary, before broadening your scope.
• There’s NO time to waste!