Many retailers adopt environmentally-friendly practices in hopes of achieving business advantages. But going green will lead to misunderstandings with your customers if they expect more than you're willing to do. This can produce public anger instead of good will. The public feels you're claiming credentials you don't deserve.
Be clear with yourself and with your target markets about what you mean by going green. Along with this, be clear within your business about why you're doing it. Is it to contribute good without expecting any profit in return? Is it to win admiration from your customers so they'll buy more from you? Is it to earn good will with planning commissions so you can build new stores or gain permission to expand your current store?
If it is to impress others, realize it will take a period of time to get the word out. Consider what has happened to McDonald's Corporation. Most objective observers would agree that the world's largest fast food chain does have the credentials to claim friendliness to the environment. They're at rank 22 on the Newsweek Magazine 2009 "Greenest Companies in America" list.
Even with all that, the food retailer continues to draw criticism for not showing sufficient social consciousness. It seems to me that people are confusing overall social consciousness with specific environmentalism.
This week's response from McDonald's Corporation has been to announce that they're redoing the décor for about 100 of their restaurants in Germany. The change is from a red backdrop to a green interior. The objective, says McDonald's, is to dramatize their commitment to the environment. Trouble is, they've already been changing from red toward green and issuing press releases since at least 2003.
Recognize the publicity advantages from going green, but realize it might take years to fully achieve those advantages.
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