Impactful Green Marketing Campaigns

When I talk to our prospects and many of my friends about Kiwano Marketing, they all come back with the same questions: what exactly is green marketing? Can you give me an example of a recent green marketing campaign? For the answer to the first question, I tell them exactly what I wrote on a previous blog post, Green Marketing to the World. And here’s the answer to their second question:

Coca-Cola: the Coca-Cola/NRC Recycling Bin Grant Program

As part of their efforts to eliminate waste and promote recycling, Coca-Cola partnered with the National Recycling Coalition (NRC) to help local communities recycle beverage containers in public events. Grant recipients of the Coca-Cola/NRC Recycling Bin Grant Program will receive actual recycling bins instead of funding, leveraging Coca-Cola’s buying power. The grant program is open to governments, civic organizations, schools, non-profit groups and for-profit companies.

Coca-Cola is also taking green steps on their packaging, with the release of the “PlantBottle,” which is comprised of 30% renewable materials from feed-stock resin. A life-cycle analysis conducted by the Imperial College of London indicates the “PlantBottle” reduces carbon emissions by up to 25% compared against petroleum-based PET bottles.

For more information on Coca-Cola’s green programs, check out Triple Pundit’s article Coca-Cola: How a Large, Multinational Corporation Goes Green.

Nokia: The Take-Back Campaign

Nokia is also doing its share in reducing the waste generated by its products. Nokia’s Take-Back campaign encourages users to give their old, broken, unused cell phones and chargers for recycling at their Nokia Priority dealers.

One of the great benefits of this campaign is that Nokia doesn’t discriminate by brand – all cell phones and chargers of any brand are accepted, thus reducing the growing amount of electronic waste piling up on landfills. It’s also a step toward green education: a recent survey showed India at the bottom of the chart, with only 17 percent of respondents having knowledge about the recyclability of phones.

The Take-Back campaign is running successfully in 85 countries. It was recently launched in India, specifically in Bangalore, Delhi, Gurgaon and Ludhiana, with over 1,300 recycling bins distributed just in the first months.

Zipcar: The Low-Car Diet Campaign

Zipcar’s Low-Car Diet campaign is back for 2009. For a month, participants across 13 cities will put down their car keys and dust off their bikes and roller skates for a healthier and more eco-friendly way of commuting. Last year, 300 Low-Car Diet participants not only helped cutting traffic congestion, but also walked 85% more, biked 136% more and decreased their miles driven by 71%.

Zipcar has also expanded its hybrid fleet, offering customers a competitive rate of $7/hour – thus making it harder not to rent a greener car.

Do you know of any green marketing campaigns you’d like to share?