Finding common ground in green

Sierra Club and Clorox celebrate their partnership

Posted by Guest author (Guest Contributor) at 6:01 AM on 05 Jun 2008

Read more about: Sierra Club | business | greenish companies | green cleaning | greenwashing

The following is a guest essay from Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club, and Don Knauss, chair and CEO of the Clorox Company.

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This year, Earth Day was bigger than ever, which prompted some hand-wringing over whether too many people were jumping on the green bandwagon. Wait a minute: Earth Day, too big? Didn't we want everyone on this bandwagon?

Sustainability is a challenge we all face; our response to it could well define the 21st century. If we are going to succeed, it will take more than a "business as usual" approach. In fact, we believe the whole definition of "business as usual" needs to be upended. Business can no longer afford to ignore environmental warnings; environmentalists can no longer demonize business. Sustainability has made us understand, in a way we never would have before, that we all share a common fate. We need to face the reality that -- like it or not -- we're in this together.

That's why we -- Sierra Club and The Clorox Company -- decided it was time to bridge the gap and come together as partners. For some, the idea was unthinkable. Had Sierra Club sold out? Was Clorox trying to greenwash? What could "the bleach maker" and the "oldest and largest environmental organization" have in common? The partnership we forged for the launch of the Green Works brand showed just how much.

At Sierra Club, we decided if the goal of green continued to seem so huge, so unattainable, so out of reach, people would give up. Through a partnership with Clorox and the Green Works brand, we could show that it was possible for a big company to take the first steps toward a greener future and consumers could live a little greener every day. Also important, financial support from the Green Works brand will help Sierra Club continue our conservation efforts, including the protection of America's clean air, clean water, wildlife and special places.

At Clorox, we're proud that Green Works products can put green within reach since consumers do not need to travel to a specialty store to find them. Green Works products give us the chance to take natural cleaning mainstream. It may sound as if we have drunk the Kool-Aid, but since Green Works products entered the market, the natural cleaning category has been growing very strongly.

We both recognize the journey ahead. In the past year, Clorox has made major strides with its environmental sustainability initiatives, but it has a long way to go. Like any company, it's an ongoing journey. At the same time, the Sierra Club needs the muscle and reach to push for the changes necessary to preserve our environment while also encouraging companies like Clorox to support green initiatives and engaging them in a very direct and frank dialogue about what additional improvements need to be made.

But when we rang the opening bell together at the New York Stock Exchange, it was one more demonstration that the unthinkable can and should happen.

American ingenuity and innovation can lead the way when it comes to improving clean technologies and protecting the environment. We had one industrial revolution; why not another? This partnership is just one example of how we can focus our investment and initiative on the challenge of building a clean economy for future generations.

For story: Finding common ground in green
9 Comments | Post a Comment

Sceptical

A friend of mine was using one of the Clorox green products and asked me what I thought as the 'green' friend. I told him I wouldn't trust a large company like Clorox to be green and he should be wary. After reading this post, I can confidently let him know that he should keep using the product and maybe I'll try it, too.

Dagny McKinley
www.onnotextiles.com
organic apparel

by dagny73 at 7:16 AM on 05 Jun 2008

alright

As one of the critics of this, I wonder how one line of cleaners makes a company with such a horrible environmental record suddenly something to support.

If Clorox had decided to work on making their usual products more environmentally friendly, that would be something. They haven't. They've launched a foray into an alternative market along with a major advertising campaign. It's about market expansion, not protecting the environment. Frankly, I wouldn't be opposed normally, but the advertising campaign and the Sierra Club getting involved to fight for a corporation which is giving them money, frankly seems hypocritical to me.

Why should the Sierra Club be a tax exempt advertising company? Seriously, shouldn't advertising for corporations in exchange for money jeopardize their nonprofit status? It's certainly not the reason people have donated to the Sierra Club.

by banana republican at 1:43 PM on 05 Jun 2008

And just how well...

...have these "green" products done? They make up what...maybe 2 or 3 percent of Clorox profits, at best?

by Tasermons Partner at 2:20 PM on 05 Jun 2008

hit lub

At Sierra Club, we decided if the goal of green continued to seem so huge, so unattainable, so out of reach, people would give up.

Whatever the "goal of green" Pope is really after, this Clorox sell-out to the we-can't-do-it is business as usual. American Green Al Qaida, your Pope.

by ids at 3:55 PM on 05 Jun 2008

I have trusted Sierra Club for years, why stop now

I count on organizations like the Sierra Club to be looking out for environmental issues. I know that they would not casually partner with a corporation who they were at all uncomfortable with. Why would they? Without their reputation they have nothing.

by jmorganp at 7:55 PM on 05 Jun 2008

Question for Carl

I am a strong believer in the idea that large corporations can be a force for good and that NGOs should engage with them. However, I am surprised that Sierra Club didn't follow the successful model of creating an certification standard that any company could meet to get its seal of approval, with a transparent process and independent board. Why is this? This type of ad-hoc agreement seems like a conflict of interest.

by Penfold007 at 7:27 AM on 06 Jun 2008

Setting the Record Straight on Clorox

As The Clorox Company's Vice President of Environmental Sustainability, the environment is what I and many others throughout The Clorox Company focus on every day. I'm proud to say that Clorox actually has a long history of environmental stewardship, but we recognize that we have to do a better job of sharing our environmental progress and we need to make more progress. What's important is that we remain committed to furthering our environmental initiatives.

In addition to our natural brand offerings like Green Works^TM and Burt's Bees®, we stand by the environmental safety of our other products, often going beyond environmental regulations in the formulation, packaging and manufacture of these products. We work hard to make sure our products and business activities comply with, and often exceed, what's required of us.

As part of this effort, Clorox is continually evaluating new ingredients and manufacturing processes that provide better performance and are safer for the environment. We then make adjustments to our products and operations accordingly. In fact, every Clorox product goes through an environmental assessment by our Product Safety and Regulatory Compliance department prior to being marketed.

Clorox is also continually seeking to reduce its packaging, maximize its use of recycled materials and develop packaging materials that are recyclable. We also work to continually improve the eco-efficiency of our manufacturing processes to both ensure compliance with all state and federal environmental regulations and go beyond these requirements in order to reduce our environmental footprint. We are participating in the Carbon Disclosure Project and we have also joined the U.S. EPA's Climate Leaders Program, committing to conduct an inventory of, and further reduce, our greenhouse gas emissions.

I strongly encourage you to go to http://www.thecloroxcompany.com/community/OurEnvironment. ... to learn more about our many environmental activities as well as our goals to do better in this area going forward.

Bill Morrissey, Vice President, Environmental Sustainability

by cloroxvp at 5:40 PM on 06 Jun 2008

A few questions...

In fact, every Clorox product goes through an environmental assessment by our Product Safety and Regulatory Compliance department prior to being marketed.

Just outta curiosity, is this environmental asessment required by law, or does Clorox do this voluntarily? And are the results public?

Also, can the PSRC department (or has it ever) denied a product to be marketed because of negative environmental impact?

And also, what was the environmental assessment for the Clorox Bleach product line?

by Tasermons Partner at 10:03 PM on 06 Jun 2008

Clorox Product Safety Assessments

Like many other companies, Clorox conducts environmental/human safety assessments above and beyond what's required of us by the government. These studies are not available to the public for competitive reasons. However, the EPA publishes a summary of ingredients that we and other companies use based on tests conducted. These summaries are available to the public.

For new formulas, product developers are provided guidance and tools to identify environmentally preferred ingredients. Assessments are conducted several times during the formulation stages by environmental and human health safety experts before a product is allowed to go to market. And yes, in the past, there have been new formulas developed by our own scientists or acquired products that have been rejected by Clorox's Product Safety and Regulatory Compliance Department. Such products are then reformulated before release into the marketplace.

We continually conduct environmental and health assessments on our products, including bleach. What people may not know is Clorox Liquid Bleach is sodium hypochlorite, not free chlorine. In its physical state, household bleach is more similar to common table salt than chlorine, which is why it mostly degrades into salt after use. Here are links to a risk assessment conducted by the EPA, as well as an environmental health review of sodium hypochlorite conducted in Europe:

USEPA Sodium Hypochlorite Risk Assessment: http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/REDs/old_reds/case0029.pdf

European Union - Environmental Health Review of Sodium Hypochlorite: http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_risk/committees/04_scher/do ...

by cloroxvp at 4:11 PM on 10 Jun 2008
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