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Here’s an excellent article on the same drum I’ve been beating since we started thiese green discussioins a hunnert years ago.
This term “Greewashing” is an excellent choice, by the way.
This gives the fabricator great selling advantage. As much as a homeowner might want to go green, they are as much, if not more happy when you can speak to them in the language of green and explain where they are smart and foolish to spend the extra money most of them are expecting to. This gives you an advantage and them a few less dollars they would have to shell out for their conscience.
As quoted from the article:
While consumers will choose green products if they deliver the same
benefits and features for the same price as non-green versions,
“they’re absolutely not willing to compromise on performance to get
green products,” he says.It then gives a point that I don’t necesarily agree with:
Alter points to one countertop company that was extolling the 12
percent recycled content of its products. “The recycled material is
their own scrap from mistakes,” Alter laments. “They’re building an
entire ad campaign around it.”I don’t see why using “mistake” material should not be considered ecologically correct. What’s the alternative? Throw it out? Isn’t that what we are supposed to avoid?
He contrasts that type of exploitation
with competitor IceStone’s marketing campaign, which allows customers
to follow every step in the life cycle of its sustainable countertops
on its Web page.Meanwhile, decisions could be confusing for the
consumer, he says. “They’ll say, ‘I don’t know which is better, so
let’s just use granite.’“Kudos and a tip of the ‘smart hat’ to IceStone. That last quote is particularly relevant. It may indeed be a successful strategy for the less green inclined product to obfuscate.
Read the whole thing, as they say.
The 12% are post industrial waste.. For whats it’s worth.. thats is what Ice Stone uses also. The glass comes from the midwest, shipped to NY and is post industrial not post consumer. So its not your soda and beer bottles you threw in the recyling bin, its bottles that are broke, bad etc in the mfg process. So what is green and what isn’t green? Could Ice Stone not find any material in New York City? The whole green movement, while I agree with the concept is full of greenwashing. Some organization, with real credibilty needs to research and “certify” what is being claimed about “green products”. Right now there are no truely “independant” companies doing this. All are somewhat suspect when you pay them to “certify” your product. As with most anything, follow the $$.
Great article. I think I will include a link on my website. Customers always want more information. This is the information we include on our website.
“Be careful of Greenwashing – Greenwash is a term that is used to describe the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service. The term “Green Sheen” has similarly been used to describe organizations which attempt to appear that they are adopting practices beneficial to the environment”
I recently had a customer call me that was given the Corian tops from the sale of his old house to reconfigure and replace the plastic laminate tops in his new house.
It made for some unusual seams, but I was able to fit the 60+ SF job in the back of my Toyota. Dani Homrich took a picture but he hasn’t emailed it to me yet.
The job turned out great, the customer was pleased and we kept some solid surface out of the landfill.
I’m doing another recycle next week. A lady had my customer tear out her Corian Magna Rosetta and I’m reconfiguring it to fit.
In both cases, the Corian was replaced with granite. Sell some more granite guys, I need the work. But don’t talk to me about which product is more recycleable.
Joe
We recently replaced a Granite top with a Corian top. She said the granite was to cold.and wanted a warmer surface.AS a reminder we also sell Granite . Please no letters
This is the pictured recycled job stuffed into the back of my Toyota on the way to install. I would have put it in the original post but my Edit feature is nowhere to be found.
Joe
Hi Everyone,
I think this is a great discussion as it is so important for consumers and producers to avoid greenwashing. I want to clarify a few things about how we operate here at IceStone. Admittedly, we are not the perfect picture of sustainability, but we strive to become a little closer to that ideal every day.
Our most recent supply-chain analysis shows that IceStone surfaces contain 63% pre-consumer waste and 7% post-consumerwaste content. Most of the glass does not come from New York City because, unfortunately, the infrastructure in the city to handle and process glass for high-end uses does not exist. We are working to change that. Our dream is to take the post-consumer bottles and waste from the city, and put them into our countertops. Until we can reach that goal, we do our best to optimize our supply chain of glass to benefit the environment the most that we can.
I understand that there is much confusion due to the proliferation of “certification” programs out there. There are also many evaluations of the evaluators! Hopefully, the most credible programs will rise to the top. We are proud to be certified by Cradle to Cradle, B Corporation and NSF.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions at all!
– Emily
emily at icestone dot bizHey Joe,
Why don’t you get yourself a little truck. I guess you have to take the bare essentials with you have a smaller vehicle.
Nice work on those tops. Must have used Dani’s polishing stuff to get the black tops even.
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