Let's be honest. The whole green movement has grown a bit long in the tooth. Not in principle obviously, but in presentation. We've been hearing about the new era of sustainability for so long it's lost any sense of novelty. We've gone through recycling, e-cycling, upcycling, downscaling, greenwashing, telecommuting, and from cradle to grave to cradle again, somehow missing the intermediate details altogether. I hate to say it, but green's image has grown a little, well, stale.
Any association with the environment tends to land you in one of two camps - the dirty polluter or the goody-two-shoes corporate.
Lezette Engelbrecht, ITWeb Online features editor
Much of this is due to these very terms, which form part of a broader, rather stifling vocabulary that makes things sound either annoyingly vague (what's a green phone anyway?) or horribly long-winded and technical: “Join us for a session on Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certified buildings and Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment directives...”
Which is a pity, because it detracts from all the inspiring and innovative stuff that's really going on in this space. How is one supposed to compete in the "uber-slick realm of consumer tech when you're lumped with a name like Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool? What the green economy, to use another hackneyed term, really needs is a new PR strategy. Superficial as it sounds, none of the tireless work going on in development labs and government agencies or at grassroots level is going to do much good if it doesn't have a cool public face. That's the reality in a consumer society where people change not out of compliance or fear - or even a sense of moral obligation - but because of what people they care about see as important.
Even if that weren't the case, environmental initiatives would need a PR makeover for no other reason than to counter the marketing tactics of the opposition - polluting industries which are spending a veritable fortune on propping up their disintegrating images. Hence craftily worded campaigns like Chevron's 'human energy' initiative and Shell's “Let's Go” drive.
Unfortunately, years of shoddy public relations has done some damage, particularly as companies attempted to navigate their way to credibility in the environmental stakes. Many tried to take the easy way out and got burned in the process. Meaning that in 2012, if you're an organisation that really has incorporated these principles, then mentioning it either invites raised eyebrows from those who feel you aren't doing enough, or derision from those who brand you an opportunist for saying anything in the first place. Any association with the environment tends to land you in one of two camps - the dirty polluter or the goody-two-shoes corporate - neither of which is particularly endearing to today's no-nonsense consumer.
Holding out for a hero
What the green movement needs is a trendsetter. A global player with the kind of unquestionable clout that sparks a feeding frenzy at the mere hint of a new product. A brand whose reputation sees people queuing for days to get their hands on the latest iteration of a treasured gadget. A company with such cult status that hard-up teens have sold their organs for a share of the glory. Ring any bells yet?
Yes Apple, the green movement wants You. Which is ironic, because Apple has traditionally been the most reticent of the major tech companies when it comes to being environmentally responsible. Google is charting the way with its Energy division and multimillion-dollar renewables investments, and even Facebook bowed to pressure saying it would ditch its coal-powered data centres and switch to clean energy, (thanks to a two-year-long campaign by Greenpeace).
To be honest, Apple's unwillingness has been a little puzzling. Here is a brand built on the notion of “thinking differently” - everyone knows those legendary lines about the misfits and rebels and pushing the human race forward. The campaign's message that “the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do” resonates so powerfully with the environmental movement it could just as easily have been written for this cause. Apple has gained much of its cult status from emphasising these ideals of creativity and ingenuity, as well as for being an underdog, catering for those who didn't want to conform to the mainstream offerings of Microsoft and its ilk. It's an approach that could dovetail brilliantly with “green” messaging.
Yet, away from the inspiriting calls to independence and innovation, the company's production practices have been decidedly sweat shop, and as Apple transitioned from underdog to top dog, they have, if anything, only gotten worse. Fans probably turn a blind eye because the company is so darn good at everything else, who should fault it for a little environmental destruction and human suffering along the way? But it does matter, and instead of begrudgingly cleaning up its mess, Apple could turn this into a powerful manifestation of its call to do things differently.
Yes, it's a marketing line - it's supposed to stir emotions and open wallets; so perhaps it's na"ive to expect these ideals to extend to the way Apple actually does business. But when your entire corporate identity rests on the principle of not going the conventional route, when it's not just a series of ads but part of the company DNA, then you have an obligation to demonstrate some sense of consistency. Otherwise it merely comes down to 'Think differently when it suits you' which is the kind of cop-out we've come to expect from other corporates. Apple can't continue to punt the 'forward-thinking' line when so many of its operations are based on conventional, even backward, practices that harm people and planet because it's financially expedient.
Take the gap
After Apple came under fire last year (from Chinese NGOs no less) for making use of suppliers with outstanding environmental violations, including polluting the water sources of local communities and giving off noxious fumes, it finally moved to cleaning up its dodgy supply chain practices. The company has faced similar criticisms before, and in its trademark muted style, is now working with the Natural Resources Defence Council and Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs (which nailed Apple in a 46-page report in September) to identify and correct environmental violations in more than a dozen factories.
This is a great opportunity for Apple, which has played a pioneering role in so many other sectors, to be a leader in the field of environmental stewardship as well. Done in its typical under-the-radar fashion, Apple's commitment to sustainability could inject some much-needed flair into the tired green narrative, and extend the call to think differently to environmental issues.
Many believe we should stop wasting time trying to convince sceptics of the merits of cleaner ways of living and just get on with it. But the people who think good marketing is unnecessary aren't the ones you need to worry about. Those who believe in green initiatives for the principles bought in back when anything branded 'environmental' had the public appeal of an egg carton. It's the ambivalent masses hungry for a cause you need to draw in. And they need something they can look up to; a consumer icon - preferably one with a lowercase i.
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