The green movement is now mainstream as every company seems to be marketing its environmental commitment or friendliness. Some products, such as laminate flooring, are easier than others to sell as being green—from mimicking a natural resource as opposed to actually using it to fewer raw materials needed to manufacture and install the product—laminates possess numerous qualities to give them an eco edge from the start.
But manufacturers are quick to point out laminate is not the panacea of green products and should not be sold as such. Recognizing that it is easy to “greenwash” a product and ultimately ruin its reputation, many mills have begun to roll out marketing programs to properly promote the environmental friendly qualities of laminate flooring. The idea is to educate consumers and retailers, thus allowing for a better selling/buying experience.
“There’s a fine line between extolling the virtues of laminate flooring and greenwashing,” said
Betsy Amoroso, communications manager for Mannington, whose goal is to educate the salesperson so he or she can help their customer make an informed choice. But because laminate flooring has so many green attributes (see sidebar on page 73), “it’s best to stick to the facts [during the selling process] and keep it simple and relevant.”
Milton Goodwin, Armstrong’s vice president of laminate and ceramic products, added, “This green movement is still in its infancy— especially for laminates. The thing is, there is a generic green story for laminate and then each company has its specific story.”
He noted that most consumers realize laminate has many inherent green qualities. “For the consumer who wants an exotic look yet is also eco-conscious there’s an obvious green advantage in laminate. She knows we didn’t cut down that tree to make the floor—she understands laminate is the alternative.”
Roger Farabee, vice president of marketing for
Unilin Flooring, maker of
Quick•Step, pointed to the company’s Greenworks program as an example of how a manufacturer is working to help retailers properly sell the product’s green qualities. “The program walks distributors, retailers and consumers through the complete Quick•Step green story. We have integrated this into our merchandising materials: Web site, catalogs, displays, sample boards and all other literature. This allows people to make well- informed decisions on green flooring products as well as allowing them to observe the impact they have on their daily lives.”
He noted in today’s difficult economy laminate’s selling story is better than ever “As consumers think harder than ever about what to spend on flooring and what impact it will have on the value of their homes, laminate will benefit because of its tremendous price/value equation. They can have a very upscale, totally realistic visual at a fraction of the installed price of wood or natural stone and, most importantly, without a negative environmental impact. This is a huge selling advantage for our category versus other flooring options as our customers continue to focus more and more on being green.”
