Sep 03 2008

Eco-Friendly Products Seeking Buyers

Environmentally-friendly consumer goods are drawing attention from shoppers as more companies move into "green" retailing.

Auctioneer eBay announced today it's launching WorldofGood.com to offer "products that have a positive impact on people and the planet." It joins companies such as Nike, Safeway, Whole Foods Market and Clorox to pursue new sales opportunities. eBay's "socially responsible" goods will be verified by third parties "to meet a core set of ethical and environmental standards," the company says. Products include fair trade coffee, home decor items made from recycled materials, organic clothing and animal-friendly cosmetics.

"I believe we're at a tipping point in the green market," Marci Zaroff tells Reuters' Alexandria Sage today. Zaroff is president of clothing, home goods and spa line Under the Canopy, who first coined the phrase "ECOfashion."

Last week, the Magic Marketplace apparel trade show, the largest such show in the U.S., held its first-ever ECOllection in Las Vegas with some 70 exhibitors showing off eco-friendly wares.

The number of people interested in environmentally sound apparel has risen 300 percent since 2003, according to market research firm NPD Group. Meanwhile, the organic product market has grown from $11 billion to $30 billion in the past five years, Zaroff says. "In today's economy, people are looking for a reason to buy. It (the green movement) almost gives them a reason to buy."

Posted by: Leonard Anderson | Comments (0) digg delicioussend to a friendprint entry

 

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Efficiency , Environment , Sustainable

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Recent Comments

  • This is being rather generous to Lutz. 1. The "Volt", in no small part, will be targeted as a product to people who care about energy and environmental issues. These people don't embrace Lutz' antideluvian concepts of rejecting science. How responsible is it for a GM executive to be rejecting the science? 2. As well, Lutz didn't exactly sound too enthusiastic about the Volt itself. 3. And, GM public communications has 'defended' Lutz in rather absurd ways. -A Siegel
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  • This article is right on - small businesses have a huge role to play in sustainability. Not only do they add up in aggregate, but many small businesses operate in industries that can have a significant environmental impact depending on the exact practices, like dry cleaners, auto repair shops, etc. Green is also starting to affect the bottom line more and more, customers are increasingly voting with their feet for more sustainable businesses as can be seen from the growth of sites like http://www.ecovian.com. This is also a huge opportunity for small businesses to leapfrog their bigger brothers by being more agile in adopting these measures. -Emily
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  • Great entry, Katie. Love the level of detail you managed to get in there! Probably won't be able to compete with coal and oil any time the next decade, but definitely a great technology to look into! Keep it up :) -Rune (Norway)
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