Brand Camp Blog

Just hitting your archives for a moment this morning and this actually made me smile ’cause it shows a tad bit of American-centric thinking….

You’re used to bags, so you expect ‘em. Not providing them must be based on economics. But Ikea is not an American company.

Lots of places in Canada it’s normal for stores to not provide bags…paper or plastic. You bring your own, or you have none. Other stores, you want bags, you have to pay. Of course, it’s also normal to see garbage areas in mall food courts or on the street separated into garbage, recycling and compost. And both compost and recycling are mandatory along with your city garbage…in some places garbage placed on curb for pickup must be in clear bags so you can tell it does not contain compost-able or recyclable goods. Other countries take environmental stuff WAY more seriously than the US – and the onus is placed on the consumer to step up.

I was thrilled to see Ikea take that step. If they pussy-footed around it, most people would still use the non-biodegradable, one time use, end up in landfill bags. Yes, a few people might bring their own bags or purchase the ones from ikea – but even with a discount, most people won’t.

I realize this is not about the environment, but actually about how we service our clients…but it all ties back in. I think there are cases where, if my clients wanted an option that was way more environmentally costly (say they purchased digital files that could be delivered electronically but wanted them mailed on DVD…the environmental cost is the DVD+ the packaging -fancy or utilitarian- + the fossil fuels for delivery to post office and then clients home, etc, etc). Is their a way to help my client choose the greener option…or make it the only one available?

Just food for thought, and a different perspective.