Green marketing: legend, myth, farce or prophesy? Peattie, K., & Crane, A. (2005)

Hey everyone. I believe many of you would know about the Hallyu, aka Korean Wave (韩流/한류) (Fig. 1)!

Fig.1 Hallyu (source: http://beyondhallyu.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/kwalogo.png)

However, many would be unaware of the Green-wave that ensued from the successful banning of aerosols containing chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). 

As such, my post today would be regarding an article by Peattie and Crane that discusses the journey of green marketing and its failure in promoting sustainability:
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/13522750510619733

To further illustrate this discussion, I will be comparing and contrasting the successful Hallyu with the Green-wave. 

Green marketing can be defined as marketing of environmentally friendlier products. Its initial introduction sparked hasty pursuit by companies. Modified advertising plans were scrambled to ride on this green wave. Green goods production in USA increased by 114% within a year (Ottman, 1993)! This has resulted in much debacle.

Without contextualisation, misunderstanding of consumers’ demand, improper environmental incorporation and unreliable green claims followed (Peattie & Crane, 2005). Green developers lacked foresight, fallaciously prioritising improvements on the present instead of investing in future projects (King, 1985). Consequently, benefits of green products were obscure, garnering neither appeal nor trust. Companies were also accused of green-washing (Fig .2) (Peattie & Crane, 2005).

Fig.2 The controversy of green marketing
(source: http://ecopedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Screen-shot-2013-03-28-at-10.50.11-PM.pnghttp://sparksheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/greenwash.jpg)

Contrariwise, Korean scriptwriters knew the elements that would attract massive audiences to dramas, entertaining viewers immensely while promoting actual Korean culture. Hallyu produced refreshing content like the famous ‘Running Man’, which has since became a long-running series (Fig. 3). Discovery of new talents by scouting agencies also facilitate continuation.

Fig.3 The overwhelming popularity of the unprecedented 'Running Man' series. (source: http://i1.minus.com/iUfnrCdhBrm62.jpg)

Since the initial green spark could not burn on, is the disproportionate significance between this two waves then unexpected?

However, more environmental concerns surface with each passing day and there is a pressing need to revive the Green-wave and grow its market. Successful innovations like energy-saving lamps have started the ball rolling. The onus is now on future green companies to encompass all considerations in their plans and market its green product successfully.

Literature Cited

King, S. (1985). Has marketing failed, or was it never really tried? Journal of Marketing Management, 1-19.

Ottman, J. A. (1993). Green Marketing: Challenges & Opportunities. Chicago: NTC Business Books.

Peattie, K., & Crane, A. (2005). Green marketing: legend, myth, farce or prophesy? Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 357 - 370.

Rise of the Carnivore

Hey everyone!

I LOVE eating meat very much!

Some of the greatest food ever made are roast chicken, barbecued ribs, grilled steaks and BACON (does Fig. 1 make you drool?).

Fig. 1: Assorted barbecued meat
(source: http://www.hillcountryny.com/assets/file/HC-Delivery-Special_20100727.pdf)

However, like many meat-lovers, I did not know that current meat consumption levels are unsustainable, thus contributing to environmental degradation.

To meet the same calorie requirements, a yearly meat-based diet would require 816kg of feed grains while a lactoovovegetarian diet only require 450kg of feed grains (Fig. 2) (Pimentel & Pimentel, 2003). Thus 37% of global crops are used as feed stock for farm animals (Rosen, 2000). 

Fig. 2: Comparison of average meat and plant-based diets 

(source: http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/78/3/660S.full.pdf)

When one factors in every direct and indirect resource used, the environmental cost of meat production, particularly beef , is much higher than crops (de Vries & de Boer, 2009). With global consumption of meat increasing from 47 million tonnes in 1950 to 260 million tonnes in 2005 (Brown, 2006).

Furthermore, deforestation is heavily practised to gain more farm space and fuel this unsustainable consumption (Fig. 3). Should our precious forests be sacrificed just for us to eat more meat?

Fig. 3 Deforestation in the Amazon for cattle ranching (source: http://moonofthesouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Deforestation-Amazon-1024x667.jpg)

Unsustainability also stems from increased meat consumption in developing nations due to the combination of rising wealth and the perception of meat as luxurious food. Meat consumption is projected to rise in developing nations by 107 million metric tonnes in 2020 (Delgado, 2003). This will only stress our world’s resources further.

Much water is also used in meat production. Such usage becomes dubious when one considers the water shortage faced by numerous third-world nations. If people simply reduced consumption, more water can perhaps be allocated to this countries. Thus developed nations should reduce meat consumption while developing nations should begin implementations to curb future demands.

But can we convince people to eat less meat? Are there alternatives to provide the same nutrition? Can we replace the unique taste of meat?

Stay tuned for more gastronomic information!

Literature Cited

Brown, L. R. (2006). Feeding Seven Billion Well. Plan B 2, 163-181.

de Vries, M., & de Boer, I. (2009). Comparing environmental impacts for livestock products: A review of life cycle assessments. Livestock Science, 1-11.

Delgado, C. L. (2003). Rising Consumption of Meat and Milk in Developing Countries Has Created A New Food Revolution. The Journal Of Nutrition, 3907S-3910S.

Matthews, E., & Hammond, A. (1999). Critical consumption trends and implications: degrading earth's ecosystems. . Washington D.C.: World Resource Institute (WRI).

Pimentel, M., & Pimentel, D. (2003). Sustainability of meat-based and plant-based diets and the environment. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 660S-663S.

Rosen, C. (2000). World Resources 2000-2001, People and Ecosystems: The Fraying Web of Life. Washington D.C.: Elsevier Science.

Green consumption or sustainable lifestyles? Identifying the sustainable consumer. Gilg, A., Barr, S., & Ford, N. (2005)

Hello people. Have you wondered why some people are more environmentally active than others? Or how significant ‘green’ labels should be (Fig. 1)?

Fig. 1: A green label
(source: http://iusustain.wordpress.com/2012/07/31/biorecyclapostables/)

To answer that questio, my post today will be on an article by Gilg:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016328704001569

With data collected from regions around Devon, Gilg aimed to establish a relationship between green consumerism, defined as purchasing green products (Gilg et al., 2005), and common environmental actions (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2: A logo advocating environmental action
(source: http://www.memphisflyer.com/NewsBlog/archives/2011/03/29/douglass-high-school-goes-green)

He discovered that environmental values stem from social values. This includes altruism, open-mindedness, conservativeness, egoism and one’s prioritisation of ecocentric and biospheric beliefs over materialism and social status (Gilg et al., 2005). 

However, change can only happen through actions. Gilg further investigates if certain factors will influence environmental actions.

Socio-demographic:	Psychological:
Ø  Age Ø  Gender Ø  Wealth Ø  Education level Ø  Intrinsic values	Ø  Perceived consumer effectiveness Ø  Self-efficacy (ability to participate in green consumerism) Ø  Social responsibility

His results indicated the following trends:

1. Financially & socially stable, older and liberal people engaged more frequently whereas

2. Younger, male, less educated, poorer and non-socialising members were less active

While this trends are generalised, they can provide some framework for policy makers targeting the latter group (Gilg et al., 2005). Gilg also discovered that credentials and trustworthiness of a brand determines the sale of environmental products instead of price.

Environmentalists could thus be classified as such:

Fig. 3 The 4 classifications of environmentalists (Gilg et al., 2005) 

The article argues that green consumerism and environmental actions should be merged as sustainability incorporates environmental values into both daily purchases and lifestyle (Gilg et al., 2005). Personally, I agree that this holistic approach would be very effective in reducing our carbon footprints as everything begins in the mind-sets of people. 

Ultimately, the classification that the majority belongs to will determine the fate of the environment. It is paramount to encourage occasional environmentalists to increase commitment towards a greener lifestyle and convert non-environmentalists into the mainstream class as well. 

Literature Cited

Gilg, A., Barr, S., & Ford, N, 2005. Green consumption or sustainable lifestyles? Futures, 481-504.

Socio-demographic:

Psychological:

Ø  Age

Ø  Gender

Ø  Wealth

Ø  Education level

Ø  Intrinsic values

Ø  Perceived consumer effectiveness

Ø  Self-efficacy (ability to participate in green consumerism)

Ø  Social responsibility

Food Yesterday, Plastics Today: Chapter 2

Hello again! Are you ready for round 2 of biodegradable plastics?

Recall that bioplastics rely on their innate carbohydrate nature to degrade quickly. Oxo-bioplastics, as it is commonly termed, differ in this aspect. It contains ‘pro-oxidant substances’ that catalyse degradation of the plastic (Chiellini, et al., 2006). Cobalt, manganese and iron compounds are a few  such examples of pro-oxidant substances.

With the help of this chemical additives, the plastic undergoes an abiotic process where it is exposed to UV light, heat and oxygen (Fig. 1) (Ojeda, et al., 2009). The abiotic process results in oxidation of the inert plastics, facilitating the initially slow microbial decomposition. Eventually the plastics fragments and disintegrates.

Fig.1: Rapid degradation of oxo-biodegradable plastic variant compared with control plastic. Source: http://www.seraplus.com/tdpa.html

A local example of oxo-bioplastics is the trademarked R⁽³⁾ plas (Fig. 2).  

Fig.2: Source: http://www.winrigo.com.sg/index.html

Using waste wheat husks from local food company Prima Pte Ltd (Teo, 2010) and collaborating with NTU, Division of Residues and Resource Reclamation Centre (R3C) and A*STAR SIMTech (Ltd., 2013) Singapore-based company Winrigo has developed this trademarked technology to produce many green products (Fig. 3).

Fig.3: Products range from drawers to daily utensils.
Source: http://www.winrigo.com.sg/products_biocomposite.html

With usage of biodegradable plastics, nature can perhaps remain beautiful and untainted from the harmful pollution of conventional plastics. The world will hopefully shift towards biodegradable plastics, and conventional plastics will become part of history and a lesson for generations to come.

Literature Cited

Chiellini, E., Corti, A., D'Antone, S., & Baciu, R. (2006, November). Oxo-biodegradable carbon backbone polymers – Oxidative degradation of polyethylene under accelerated test conditions. Polymer Degradation and Stability, 91(11), 2739-2747.

Ltd., 2. W. (2013, August 17). Winrigo-About Us: Overview. Retrieved September 3, 2014, from Winrigo R3plas: http://www.winrigo.com.sg/about.html

Ojeda, T. F., Dalmolin, E., Forte, M. M., Jacques, R. J., Bento, F. M., & Carmargo, F. A. (2009, June). Abiotic and biotic degradation of oxo-biodegradable polyethylenes. Polymer Degradation and Stability, 94(6), 965-970.

Teo, B. S. (2010, August 24). GreenSingapore. Retrieved September 4, 2014, from Marshall Cavendish Business Information: http://www.timesdirectories.com/environmental/news/push%20for%20green%20plastic%20bags/636536

Food Yesterday, Plastics Today: Chapter 1

Plastics. You have used it everyday of your life.

But are you aware of plastic pollution? 

Did you know that plastic bags are mistaken to be jellyfishes by turtles and consumed, remaining in their digestive tracts (Fig. 1) (Bugoni, Krause, & Petry, 2001)? When plastics photo-degrade into microplastics, they also deposit permanently on beaches (Kusui & Noda, 2003).

Fig.1: A turtle ingesting plastic (source: http://www.dropbydrop.eu/36808)

Environmental impacts like this have advocated the switch to biodegradable plastics. This plastics can decompose in a timely fashion unlike their predecessors which remain in the environment for centuries! (exaggerated accounts claim that they will outlive humans)

In today’s post, I will be discussing on 1 type of biodegradable plastics called bioplastics.

Bioplastics are manufactured from renewable resources. One example of a bioplastic is polylactic acid (PLA), a ‘biodegradable, aliphatic polyester’ (Drumright, Gruber, & Henton, 2000). NatureWorks LLC is a bioplastic company in USA which uses sugar sources to make their own PLA called Ingeo (Fig. 2) (FROM PLANTS TO PLASTICS, 2014). 

Fig.2: The manufacture of INGEO
(source: http://www.natureworksllc.com/The-Ingeo-Journey/Eco-Profile-and-LCA/How-Ingeo-is-Made )

Ingeo is sold to manufacturers of plastic products (Fig. 3).

Fig.3: Ingeo pellets (source: http://science.kqed.org/quest/audio/bioplastic-boom/)

A Singaporean bioplastic company is OliveGreen. Using corn, yam and polypropylene (PP), pallets are formed (OliveGreen, 2014). The pallets are then processed into Origo which OliveGreen makes into their own Cornware (Fig. 4). While structurally similar to Ingeo, do bear in mind that Origo is not a PLA.

Fig. 4: Corn to pallets to Origo to Cornware Cup
(source: http://www.olivegreen.com.sg/process.php)

Adept at satisfying our daily needs, the global market is slowly accepting such eco-friendly ideals. 

However, critics have expressed that food should be prioritised on ebbing global starvation. Increasing demand on existing supplies will drive up food prices, stressing poorer countries (Runge & Senauer, 2007). Yet other researchers believe that logistics are the underlying cause of global hunger (Carus & Piotrowski, 2006).

My belief lies heavily towards the latter as WHO reported that 1.4 billion people were overweight in 2008 (WorldHealthOrganization, 2014). Clearly, many humans are overeating while many more are starving.

In my next post, I will discuss the second biodegradable plastic.

Stay tuned.

Literature Cited

Bugoni, L., Krause, L., & Petry, M. V. (2001, December). Marine Debris and Human Impacts on Sea Turtles in Southern Brazil. (C. Sheppard, Ed.) Marine Pollution Bulletin, 42(12), 223.

Carus, M., & Piotrowski, S. (2006). Land Use for Bioplastics. bioplastics MAGAZINE, 4, 46-49.

Drumright, R. E., Gruber, P. R., & Henton, D. E. (2000, December). Polylactic acid technology. (P. Gregory, Ed.) Advanced Materials, 12(23), 1841-1846.

FROM PLANTS TO PLASTICS. (2014, May 30). (Copyright 2014 NatureWorks LLC) Retrieved August 27, 2014, from NatureWorks LLC (ingeo: ingenious materials from plants not oil): http://www.natureworksllc.com/The-Ingeo-Journey/Eco-Profile-and-LCA/How-Ingeo-is-Made

Kusui, T., & Noda, M. (2003, January-June). International survey on the distribution of stranded and buried litter on beaches along the Sea of Japan. (C. Sheppard, Ed.) Marine Polllution Bulletin, 47(1-6), 272.

Runge, C. F., & Senauer, B. (2007, May-June). How Biofuels Could Starve The Poor. Foreign Affairs, 86(3), 41-53.

The process: how Origo is made. (2014, June 5). (Copyright Olive Green Marketing Pte. Ltd.) Retrieved August 27, 2014, from Olive Green (From nature...to your table): http://www.olivegreen.com.sg/process.php
WorldHealthOrganization. (2014, August ). Obesity and overweight. Retrieved from World Health Organization: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en/

Pee & Save? Pee 2 Save?

Hey everyone, this is my first post for Change-Up. And you guessed it! It is related to peeing.

As a BES* student that happens to live near Singapore’s first eco-mall (CitySquare Mall), I can partake in eco-friendly activities regularly; like walking instead of taking a bus when going to catch a movie #MARVEL.

The green highlight of this post is the waterless urinals implemented in every male restroom of the mall as flushing is not required (Fig. 1)!

Fig 1: Waterless urinals in City Square Mall
(source: http://merlionwayfarergoesgreen.blogspot.sg/2013/06/city-square-mall-singapores-first-eco.html)

While there is no slogan outside the mall stating ‘Pee Here to Save Water’, this statement is accurate. With additional water conservation methods like recycling condensed water from the air-conditioning systems, the mall saved 10 Olympic swimming pools worth of water in its first year of operation (Marusiak, 2011)!

Check out this video, by Uridan Waterless System (Denmark), showing how a typical waterless urinal works:

The concept of eradicating the flush arose due to impending global water shortage. During the World Toilet Summit and Expo held by the World Toilet Organisation (ridiculous as it sounds, check this out: http://worldtoilet.org/) in Macau 2008, ecologists and designers debated on this idea because flushes are ‘egregious instruments of waste in this time of acutely finite resources’ (Fig. 2) (Duncan, 2008).

Fig 2: World Toilet Summit & Expo (source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/gtzecosan/)

Why then do we see so little of this urinals?

Considering their shameful accidents (matching Justin Bieber), we can be thankful that Jurong East Mall declined this profitable option. Renovating existing malls with waterless urinals is futile if they lack compatible plumbing systems. However, there is no excuse for future infrastructures not to adopt waterless urinals. By 2061, Malaysia will stop selling us water (Long, 2001) 

With our remaining 3 national taps, will Singapore be ready? 

Our water sustainability has always been managed with efficient practices (Tortajada, 2007). I believe that a policy for implementing waterless urinals to new public spaces will go a long way in reducing our future demand for water. PUB needs to promote this alternative to aoivd a future with water shortage.

So why are we waiting?

Literature Cited

Duncan, D. (2008, November 6). Is it time to kill off the flush toilet? (R. Stengel, Ed.) Retrieved from TIME: http://content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1857113,00.html

Long, J. (2001, December). Desecuritizing the Water Issue in Singapore-Malaysia relations. Contemporary Southeast Asia, 23(3), 504-532. Retrieved August 19, 2014, from http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/25798564?uid=3738992&uid=2&uid=4&sid=21104539029807

Marusiak, J. (2011, September 17). Green building experts shop for ideas at Singapore's first eco-mall. International Green Building Conference 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2014, from Eco-Business: http://www.eco-business.com/news/green-building-experts-shop-for-ideas-at-singapores-first-eco-mall/

Tortajada, C. (2007, January 22). Water Management in Singapore. International Journal of Water Resources Development, 22(2). Retrieved August 19, 2014, from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07900620600691944#.U_LSw_mSzIM