Article Number : 1854 |
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| Date | 3/23/2007 8:37:48 AM |
| Written By | LGM & Associates Technical Flooring Services |
| View this article at: | //floorbiz.com/BizResources/NPViewArticle.asp?ArticleID=1854 |
| Abstract | Howard Brodsky, co-chairman and co-CEO of CCA Global Partners, earlier this month told Carpet One Floor & Home and Flooring America members that the green movement was the real deal, and CCA Global would emerge as a market leader in this department... |
| Article | Howard Brodsky, co-chairman and co-CEO of CCA Global Partners, earlier this month told Carpet One Floor & Home and Flooring America members that the green movement was the real deal, and CCA Global would emerge as a market leader in this department. How important is the initiative? In a sentence: “Green is the new red, white and blue.” While he was short on specifics, Brodsky was adamant that CCA Global was committed to putting together a marketing position with valid services and a consumer connection that would redefine this industry. “We won’t get there by riding on someone’s coattails of just a product story,” he said. “A great product story is just that— a great product story.” Rather, CCA Global is after a true marketing position that will differentiate it from the competition. “Your customers are looking for a better understanding and connection of what it means to be green. There’s a way to make something resonate, and that leaves a lasting impression,” he said. Going green has become patriotic, capitalistic, healthy and competitive. What’s more, green concerns are becoming mainstream as it demonstrates civic leadership and corporate responsibility. Recognizing this, CCA Global sees an opportunity to carve out a program to make its members’ stores environmentally responsible. What exactly does green mean? Hard to say. It continues to morph and evolve. But as Brodsky says, the key for a leader like CCA Global is to understand and create a position that has differentiation and integrity. “We have a responsibility to our customers to do the right thing at the right time in the right context,” he said. Green initiatives take many forms. For example: • Post-consumer content, which is product made partially from waste. The waste is either burned or chemically turned into new product or fiber. • Reclamation, which is the ability to collect post-consumer content so it can be recycled. Trash hauling can be reduced while doing something good for the environment. As well, pad can be ripped up and sent back to the manufacturer. • Recycling, which is taking garbage and turning it into something useable again, whether it be product or energy. • Cradle-to-cradle, which means after a product is made, rather than dispose of it, it can be made over and over again so it keeps its value. • Natural products, like wool, which comes from fleecing of sheep, or cork, which comes from the bark of the tree and grows back quickly. • Environmentally sensitive harvesting, which would include foresting techniques that do not hurt the ecology of the forest or animals that live in it. I’m expecting to hear details of CCA’s initiatives at summer convention. Stay tuned. |