C 6–2 Tips Checklist on biodiversity-conscious marketing

Introduction
Use the following tips as suggestions:
C 6–2–1 Life -Cycle-Oriented Marketing Strategy
Integrate into your marketing strategy the positive aspects of the product life cycle, such as resource conserving use / recyclability of product components (see Detailed Checklist c 5). Demonstrate the value to your consumers as well. Good examples of this are energy saving technology and free take-back of old products for recycling.

Applicable / Feasible?

Apply the take-back practice to product parts (such as packaging) and encourage your customers to participate in such measures.

Applicable / Feasible?

Offer with select products the necessary services to increase the product life cycle. Examples of this are offering repair services, maintenance or replacement of wear and tear parts.

Applicable / Feasible?

Consider using the life cycle process as a basis for certification.

Applicalbe / Feasible?

Let your customers know that it is important to maintain the product life cycle. Do this with appropriate labeling, online forums on your webpage and mentioning it in your advertisements.

Applicable / Feasible?

C 6–2–2 Labeling and information-based Marketing
Make an effort to attain environmental certification or the license to use environmental labels. These can be procured by developing a holistic product concept - involving the materials, processing and recycling - that is sustainable, environmentally and biodiversity-friendly (see also Detailed Checklist C 11).

Applicable / Feasible?

If there is as of yet not certification / eco-labeling for your product, consider working together with other businesses and actors from the industry (e.g. institutions, associations, environmental and nature conservation organizations, etc.) to develop guidelines on evaluating biodiversity criteria. You may even consider developing a certification system / labeling standard.

Applicalbe / Feasible?

Explain to your customers the important connection between low energy and resource consumption and biodiversity protection.

Applicable / Feasible?

Publish a yearly sustainability report that describes and analyses successes and challenges in your product development and biodiversity management. The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) offers ideas and guidelines on how to produce a sustainability report for large corporations as well as small and medium sized businesses.

Applicable / Feasible?

Use your marketing strategies to create an additional benefit for biodiversity. This can be something as simple as offering a donation to a biodiversity project or environment fund for every "green" product purchased.

Applicable / Feasible?

C 6–2–3 Additional Marketing Considering Biodiversity Aspects
See tips on product design provided in the C 5-2 checklist concerning marketing directly on the product itself (e.g. labels, packaging, etc.).

Applicable / Feasible?

Pay attention when producing flyers and product-related information brochures, give-a-ways, etc. to the use of resources and recycling aspects. Use recycled paper, water soluble inks and adhesives as well as re-usable or biodegradable materials. It might also be possible to issue give-a-ways in the form of vouchers or coupons. These tend to use a limited amount of resources.

Applicalbe / Feasible?

Additional Tips
On the next page you will have the possibility to print or save the entered data.
Print Preview

Helpful Links and Organisations for Detailed Checklist C 6

 www.globalreporting.org

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) develops guidelines for producing sustainability reports for large corporations, small and medium sized businesses as well as government agencies and NGO's. You will find a GRI handbook on biodiversity highlighting its importance for businesses and organizations and that gives tips on how biodiversity reports should be generated.

www.enviroreporting.com

On the webpage of the International Corporate Sustainability Reporting you will find the current news and developments, a comprehensive online library with guidebook, articles and user-friendly tools plus additional helpful resources on corporate environmental and sustainability reports. Their selection of Guidelines and tools for Sustainability reporting are available for download in many languages.

How the Checklists work

With the checklists' various fields of action you will be able to assess your company's situation.  For each field of action, there is a quick check along with multiple other detailed checklists.  Fill in the relevant checklists one after the other.  At the end you can print out and send or email us the completed questionnaire.

Note:

The entries are meant to aid you in your self-evaluation and will not be saved or used by us or any other third party organisation.

 

 

Logo: CSM
Logo: Leuphana