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21st September 2007 - DON'T LET THE CREDIT CRUNCH THE ENVIRONMENT
THE SQUEEZE on spending is putting the future of organic and ethical products at risk, fears a national environment group.
As the credit crunch bites ever-deeper, every product has to fight for survival on shop shelves and Go4Green.com is calling on customers to maintain their demand for fair-trade, environmental and organic brands.
"It is the usual commercial law of supply and demand," said G4G director Keith Bailey as he launched a rallying call to the ethical consumer community to keep faith with their causes - or risk undermining everything that has been achieved over the past decade.
"Consumers cannot afford to be distracted from their support of green products. But many shoppers are feeling the pinch and switching to lower-priced alternatives - turning away from brands with a focus on organic production, the environment or higher wages for third world producers.
"Shoppers cannot be fair-weather friends to their principles; only providing support in the good times and shying away when it gets tough. Ethical consumerism should be serious, sustained and passionate."
Go4Green.com is an online directory of environmentally-friendly businesses and they believe that consumers today are better informed than ever and know their own power to shape markets.
"But with this empowerment comes the responsibility to choose the right products," said Mr Bailey. "Supermarkets are providing that choice with a wide range of products in each category. But, by failing to support ethical or sustainable products, consumers risk sending a message to stockists that their real interests lie not with the future of people and planet - but only with the lowest possible prices."
Supermarkets have been enthusiastic in responding to the demand for ethical goods, say producers, but the very existence of green brands may be threatened if consumers give the wrong message about what they want on the shelves.
Under pressure to respond to consumer demand, stores often have to de-list brands whose sales slip after only a couple of weeks, which could potentially undermine years of work from ethical brands, and years of commitment from their supporters.
"This would prove a high price to pay for what may well turn out to be a short-term hiccup in the economy," said Mr Bailey. "A price that will be paid by the environment and by producers in developing countries.
"It is certainly is no less important today than it was. Indeed, it is imperative to build on the foundation of what we have achieved - and continue believing in the power of the consumer to change the world."
24th August 2008 - MAKE IT YOUR BUSINESS TO GO FOR GREEN
Many local companies and organisations feature prominently in a massive new UK business directory that enables consumers to make green choices that will help the environment.
The Go4Green.org web-based directory has more than 2,000,000 listings, enabling buyers of all sorts of products and services to spend their money with companies that are doing their best to help the planet.
“We aim to make this the most comprehensive and powerful tool for everyone seeking to improve the environment,” said James Moore, Managing Director of Central Index, who are powering the newly-launched site.
“The most effective way that the public can make a difference is by insisting that they do business only with others who want to
protect the Earth for generations to come. The Go4Green directory will clearly flag every green company and organisation possible with our distinctive Green Star Man. (Image available on request by email from centralindex.com) “More businesses will be forced to adopt green practices once they realise that it will have a big impact on their bottom line. The public’s spending power has a big part to play in the future of the planet, simply through supply and demand.
“The consumer is King, and by spending their money where their heart is they will find they can make a tremendous and vital difference to the way that companies do business.”
Go4Green already practices what it preaches with an environmental management system that embraces all aspects of green living. They are also offering to help companies to become greener, and offering incentives to companies that will enable them have a tree planted in their name, adopt an endangered animal, or be cosely associated with other environmental initiatives.
Any company can improve their environmental effort by
contacting info@go4green.org
Go4Green.org is supported by The Green Organisation, the non-profit international environment group that helps hundreds of thousands of environmental disaster victims around the world.
They are perhaps even better known for organising the International Green Apple Awards, the world’s largest campaign to recognise and promote companies and organisations that are doing their best to help the environment. END
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