It's been a long time coming, but a true-green paper company is finally stepping up to get the recognition it deserves.
After nearly 60 years in business, it turns out that Marcal - the company that makes a range of affordable, high-quality paper products - has been quietly using 100% recycled stock all along.
Why does that matter - and why is Marcal's new positioning such news?
Well, when you consider that 98% of the paper products we use to wipe our mouths, noses, hands, and derrieres are manufactured from virgin wood - some of it from centuries-old trees in old-growth forests, primarily in Canada - and when you consider the ongoing loss of rainforests throughout the world - Marcal's quiet green policies suddenly make a lot of difference.
Problem was, while the company has been doing the right thing all these years, they were not positioning themselves as a green company or publicizing the reasons for their choices.
And in a steadily greening market that could have vaulted them to riches, Marcal instead went through bankruptcy and was sold in 2007.
It's really rather hard to believe, given the cultural changes that were going on at the same time. For example, in 2004, Greenpeace launched its Kleercut campaign to protect the boreal forest of Canada, and listed Marcal in its literature as one of the few companies not using virgin paper for single-use products. And then in 2006, sustainability tipped into the popular media with Vogue's Green Issue. And one year later, this uber-green company went under...never saying a word to tap into its perfect market.
The Canadian Boreal Forest
Now, with the new CEO, Tim Spring, in office, Marcal is finally positioning itself to fulfill its potential as a green company that sells 1) inexpensive, ordinary products for the ordinary person's budget - not ultraspecialized, high-end boutique items -- and 2) green products that meet and exceed the quality standards of the non-green equivalents.
In other words, "Joe Sixpack"can afford to buy Marcal products, and expect them to work.
What does this say for your green business?
First of all - if you are running your business on green principles, is this part of your marketing? Have you gotten certified and listed as a green business by organizations like Green America or Green Seal? Are you involved with green networking organizations? Does the public know that you're green?
Second - if you have based your business on a particular green issue, educate your public! Yes, Marcal's products offered solid quality and competitive pricing, even if no one knew their green secret. But that wasn't enough to keep the company from going under in competition against the giants Georgia-Pacific and Kimberly-Clark. Meanwhile, eco-activists struggled to alert the buying public that they were, in effect, wiping their noses and bottoms on irreplaceable old-growth ecosystems.
If you're passionate about the green choices you've made, tell the world why! You'll not only be helping your product - you'll be helping to make a difference. Use a blog, social posting, information products - get the help of copywriters to communicate your passion and green social marketing consultants to place your message where it will be seen.
Third -would Joe Sixpack want to buy your product? Roughly 25% of the American public does not factor sustainability into their purchasing decisions. And unfortunately, there's a certain market segment that believes green products are overpriced and/or substandard...recycled tissues are scratchy, nontoxic cleaners don't work, etc., etc.
These are the people that green businesses need to win over...and Marcal is demonstrating the best way to do so, with affordable, high-performance products that are 100% sustainable.
It's great to know that this little company is finally positioning itself to get the attention it deserves!
2 comments:
Marcal is the biggest air and water polluter in the state of New Jersey. They have been fined almost a billion dollars by the EPA, and do much more harm than good. They filed Chapter 11 to avoid paying for the clean up, and also used it as an opportunity to break their union contract. Nice guys, huh? Then when they emerged from bankruptcy, they painted themselves green. For them to claim to be a green, eco-friendly company is a joke, as well as a lie.
Thanks for that information - I was not aware of that.
Post a Comment