Brand Mix

Photo: shikeroku (Flickr)

"Your American Express Corporate cards are turning “greener.” Effective June 4, 2009, American Express is moving to online statement delivery for Corporate cards." Company announcement.

"With about 8,000 guests that visit the hotel each year, hotel managers said, that’s a lot of dirty sheets and towels and a lot of plastic water bottles. Now guests can find a message in their bathroom that gives them the opportunity to reuse their bath towels if they so choose to help the environment. Individual plastic water bottles have been eliminated and guests both in their guest room and in all meeting rooms are provided with filtered water in renewable bottles." Hotel announcement

OK. We know that green is good but we also know that companies are always looking for ways to cut costs. So companies should be careful when they launch initiatives that are definitely in their interest but take away a customer service or add an inconvenience under green-guise.

Even I, as an already paperless and stingy-towel-using guy, get irked by these true but incomplete announcements. What they should do is go on to say is something like: "In launching this initiative, we also estimate that we will save $xx/year which we will use to do something good for you, the customer, like reduce costs, upgrade service etc.

On a related front, with a story you simply wouldn't believe if had been first published today, California is now backpedaling on a plan to ban black cars to reduce emissions. Like California needs this kind of publicity. Apparently, The California Air Resources Board was seriously considering effectively banning black cars on the basis that they take more energy to cool but backed off "after facing global ridicule." Wouldn't they be better to try and find ways to harness the solar power being absorbed by cars rather than prescribing which colors people can buy?

I think that most people have a reasonably high level of goodwill towards green initiatives but that goodwill is not unlimited. Better to work with them than try and beat them into submission.