The EPA reading has some interesting points about Sustainable purchasing.
Saying that a product is "free of" something doesn't always mean it's sustainable. If something is "free of" something means that it doesn't have that product but it may have something else that isn't as sustainable as something else. If I had to explain this to Office Depot, I would show them that saying a product is free of something doesn't mean it's green. Show customers that it is "free of" whatever but as a trade off has this ingredient that makes it not environmentally friendly. Putting the sustainability of a product on a scale would show that the product is truly sustainable. In class yesterday, we discussed a scale showing how many trees paper would save. Doing a star rating system or something similar to show the true sustainability of a product would be helpful when purchasing.
Show clients a breakdown of the tree scale would show what exactly the product does to be sustainable. Using information such as percentage of recycled content, biodegradability, ingredient list that shows information about sustainable choices in ingredients.
Explaining to buyers that their product is made from recycled materials is something that can really provide buyers with an environmental state of mind. Showing or telling customers that their product is made from 45% recycled material can make buyers feel better then buying something that is 0% recycled. Customers who are truly being conscience about their purchases would be able to see the percentage and choose their supplies based on the content of recycled material.
There are many symbols and icons that show a product is sustainable. Explaining and creating a key for the icons on a product might interest the buyer into being conscience about the environment. Potentially getting the client to understand these icons may help them buy their products based on their need but also based on their personal choice to the icons. When using the icons, customers will remember the icons and potentially look for them in other sales resulting in not only Office Depot becoming environmentally conscience but other companies as well. Using these icons, a company could also show clients their values. For example, Office Depot could use the Energy Star icon to show customers that their stores run off efficient energy sources, making the client feel confident not only in the product but the company they are buying from.
