Summer Sandals that are Beautiful and Eco-Friendly
I recently purchased this modern and simply styled pair of black sandals by the brand, Melissa. I chose them over the other options because their elegant design matches my minimalist aesthetic and could easily be dressed up or down. What I NEVER realized until reading a recent article on Inhabitat is that their rubber design is also eco-friendly. Nothing on the shoe, box, or at the retail display conveyed to me that this product was also green, which would have made my decision to buy much easier.
Why are legitimately green companies recently refraining from marketing their green efforts?
According to Inhabitat, Melissa’s products are
“…made from MEFLEX, a breathable and non-toxic plastic and are vegan-friendly and cruelty free. What’s more, 99.9% of Melissa’s factory water and waste is recycled and the employees are paid above average wages for their work.”
Of course I believe that being eco-friendly is not just a marketing message, it should become a natural part of every company and product’s DNA. However, in an interest to jump ahead of the game and avoid the clutter of greenwashing, many of my favorite brands seem to be avoiding green messaging and marketing these days.
I see this as a tremendous shame and a missed opportunity. As we stated in our recent webinar, in a time where retail brands need every asset to demonstrate the value of their purchase to consumers with budget-conscious pocketbooks, no brand should miss an opportunity to promote a value-added benefit, especially one that for many customers could be THE deciding factor.
Experience has shown that you cannot over brand for consumers. If your product is strategically eco-friendly, or practices sustainable or cradle-to-cradle manufacturing, you cannot simply assume that because these practices are part of your brand DNA they are in turn well known to consumers. In fact, it is often the contrary. The more you feel everyone should just know about your efforts, the more likely you are to miss crucial opportunities to introduce these facts to new customers. I believe that this can be done tastefully and consistently without sacrificing aesthetics or brand cache.
Remember you have to keep meeting new fans in addition to preaching to your loyal followers.
Sheri. these are wonderful and look like fun shoes to wear!!! Their website is very interesting. Wonder where I can buy them???
Susan
By: Susan on June 7, 2009 at 1:17 pm
You can buy them here: http://www.inhabitatshop.com/Melissa-Sin-T-Sandal.html
By: sheri on June 8, 2009 at 7:23 am
I wonder if some companies aren’t concerned about the green trend backlash. If sustainability is, in fact, in their DNA, might they feel that emphasizing it begins to feel gimmicky and inauthentic?
By: Jennifer on June 8, 2009 at 7:25 am
I think you are 100% correct, Jennifer and that’s exactly why we are seeing brands shy away from it. However, I don’t think we are at the stage yet where as a consumer I can just assume that every brand is green. Rather, I think more than ever it is important for every brand to keep touting how important it IS. Otherwise all this talk of dreaming of a greener planet and a better tomorrow might just fade away like it did in the 70’s.
By: sheri on June 8, 2009 at 7:52 am
Sheri: the talk is sort of guaranteed to fade away like it did in the 70’s. The green talk seems to appear and disappear roughly every seven years. Companies shouldn’t view sustainability as a selling point but as a moral issue…like that flooring company CEO in The Corporation.
By: Keir on June 8, 2009 at 9:34 am
Absolutely agreed.
By: Jennifer on June 8, 2009 at 11:30 am
Are these the shoes that you bought in the Loop when you visited StL?
By: Emily on June 17, 2009 at 11:51 am
Yes, Em they are.
By: sheri on July 2, 2009 at 10:07 am