Hello,
I am keen to convince a major local hardware chain of the merits of turning one of their outlets into a sustainability hub, where they could stock sustainable building products, plantation timbers, renewable energy systems etc. As this kind of building is the way of the future it seems obvious that the products need to become more easily available to both the mainstream hardware-buying market, and builders alike. Have any of your local hardware shops gone down this path? Or do you know where I can find research on sales figures of sustainable products or projected growth in the industry?
Vanessa Morris
Secretary SEE-Change Jamison
(Canberra Sustainability Group)
see-change.org.au
02 6251 2508 0421 270 840
Sustainable Hardware Models
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Hi,
You can look up http://www.rideaulumber.com/ Home Hardware stores are a small/medium store size chain in Canada - and this outlet, in Smiths Falls, Ontario (a town under 15,000 pop) has made an effort with renewables.
Patricia
Hello Vanessa
As part of my sustainable marketing consulting practice I recently did some research for a Western Canadian retailer, and came across a hardware store program for Home Depot called Eco Options. The program started in Canada and is now migrating to the US. I also saw a presentation by their marketing team on the success of the program launches, especially with sales spikes identified around events where customers can bring in old, polluting lawnmowers and trade them in, or exchange their inefficient holiday lights for CFLs etc. Here are some links to a few news releases theres a lot more if you Google Home Depot Eco Options. http://ir.homedepot.com/ReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=238230 One factor that may be important for your client is the process of product verification what makes a green building product? Home Depot has done some good work in this area, channeling their green products into niches that align both with their customers needs and their own corporate strategic pillars: http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/EcoContent?storeId=10051&c atalogId=10051&langId=-15&display=verification I also have some presentation materials that I put together describing their strategy that I may be able to help you with. Feel free to e-mail me directly at [email protected] The most important thing from my perspective is that any initiative a company undertakes should be grown and nurtured organically from their own corporate vision and culture. What is it about this retailer that can lead them in a sustainable direction? What makes the most sense for where they are already heading?
Good luck!
Lorne Craig
Unicycle Creative
[email protected]
...
There is Green Depot in the US (http://www.greendepot.com/) but I would recommend investigating eco-leasing of equipment (particularly to the DIY-market). See Oksana Mont's paper on systems of joint use with a case study of tools: 10. Mont, O. (2004). "Reducing life cycle environmental impacts through systems of joint use." Special issue on "Life Cycle Management" of Greener Management International (45): 63-77 http://greenscm.com/Articles/Reducing%20Life-cycle%20Environmental%20Impacts
%20Through%20Systems%20of%20Joint%20Use%20Mont%202004.pdf
Contact Mariano Ramirez at the Faculty of Built Environment, UNSW, who has done research on tool libraries in Australia.
Cameron