The New Rules Checklist

Use the following checklist to test your understanding of the mainstream-ing of green and the need for your business to respond now.

Is there an awareness within our company of the true extent of envi-ronmentalism within society today?

What are the top environmental issues of concern to our consumers? Shareholders? Employees? Suppliers? Retailers? Community?

What is our top environmental risk? Is there a PVC, BPA, or other chemical scare lurking in our brand’s future?

What are the natural resources that our brands depend on – and what are the long-term projections for their availability?

To which generations do our consumers belong and what are the unique ways in which they express their environmental and social concerns?

To what extent do environmental issues affect the way consumers engage with our brand and the products in our category in general?

To what extent are our consumers politically and socially active about environmental issues?

How has environmentalism affected the shopping habits of our consumers? What types of greener products and services are our consumers buying these days?

What are our competitors’ key sustainability-oriented initiatives? To what extent are they introducing or possibly acquiring new sustainable brands?

What are the key sources of sustainability-related information on which our consumers rely?

Which environment-oriented legislators and legislative initiatives affect our business?

What opportunities do we have to grow our sales and enhance our image through greener products and green marketing campaigns?

What personal rewards in going green might be meaningful in enlisting the support of colleagues and stakeholders in our company’s sustainability efforts?