Compact Detergents--A Big Little Change For The Better
Friday, May 30, 2008 / KW
It's a hopeful sign when eco-friendly initiatives by business are becoming so numerous that it's possible for a relatively important one to come in under the radar, producing social and economic benefits without a lot of fanfare. That seems to be the case with the shift to compact detergents. As reported by the WBCSD, compact detergents save water, energy, space (in shipping containers and on store shelves), and even significant amounts of petroleum (since smaller packages require less plastic).Now Wal-Mart has announced it will be selling only compact detergents in the future. It's noteworthy, as most policy shifts by Wal-Mart are, because of the company's sheer size. Anything Wal-Mart does is, by definition, mainstream. And it's encouraging to note that Wal-Mart is evidently doing a good job of training its employees to explain the benefits of compact detergents to customers (see the reader comment to this effect on the company blog we linked to). That's important because, in the absence of such explanation, it would be easy for customers to get the wrong idea: "I'm paying the same amount for a smaller package?! What is this, some kind of rip-off?"
Wal-Mart's move to stocking compact detergents exclusively is also important because it eliminates one potentially major source of supplier reluctance to "go compact"--the fear that my smaller product will be overlooked on the store shelves alongside a competitor's giant-sized package. Many purveyors of packaged goods think of "shelf space"--retail acreage, in effect--as a measure of competitive presence. By selling only compact detergents, Wal-Mart is creating a level playing field for every manufacturer and removing the perverse incentive to keep using bulky, wasteful formulations.
Like any strategic change, sustainability moves need to be thought through carefully and completely to ensure they work as planned rather than triggering the dreaded "unintended consequences" we've all learned to fear. This looks like a case where Wal-Mart (and far-sighted manufactuers like compact pioneer Procter & Gamble) have done their homework.
Labels: compact detergents, Packaging, Procter and Gamble, Wal-Mart, Waste
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