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19 Sep 02 - Ikea; Washington state; Sip Sacs; LEED; producer responsibility ** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ** -- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition -------- Forum archive: http://www.reuses.com/nwpcarchive -------------------- Excerpted from Stuart Elliott's column on advertising in the business section of the 9/16/02 New York Times: The Swedish retailer Ikea, trying to fight off competitors from both the high and low ends of the furniture market, is embarking on a provocative campaign to encourage North American consumers to junk their household furnishings more frequently. The campaign, with a budget estimated at $40 million to $50 million, began Sept. 16. Ikea's audacious campaign advocates consumption - if not conspicuous, then at least celebratory - not because a sofa, lamp, rug or knickknack wore out or broke, but for more emotional reasons of fashion or just plain fun. The goal of the campaign is to help Ikea compete more effectively against retailers like Target and Bed Bath & Beyond, which increasingly appeal to the discount cravings of the well-to-do consumer, and the more upscale retailers like Crate and Barrel and Pier 1 Imports. The campaign is also meant to lay the groundwork for Ikea's ambitious expansion plan calling for the opening of 50 stores by 2012, including 9 next year. Some of the ads boldly declare, "You are crazy" if you persist in clinging to old household items you hate. The purpose is to add some pizazz to what an Ikea marketing manager described as "the old-furniture culture" that pervades North America, while changing the plebeian image that Ikea's lower-priced products have among many consumers. "Ikea's cheap prices are a plus, as are its contemporary designs," said Irma Zandl, president at the Zandl Group in New York, a market research and consulting company. "But it has a spotty reputation for quality." The campaign may be seeking to "put a positive spin" on that disadvantage, she added, "suggesting that you will want to replace something anyway, so that it doesn't matter that it doesn't last very long." That unusual approach may not appeal to consumers, Zandl said. "It's one thing to buy disposable furniture because you want a new at-home look every 12 months, and quite another if you're forced to replace your Ikea furniture because it has fallen apart on you." But, she added, "disposability and obsolescence are growing trends in fashion and electronics," particularly among younger consumers. They are the reason that another Swedish retailer, Hennes and Mauritz, which sells evanescent bargain apparel at its H&M clothing stores, has grown rapidly in the United States. "The consumer has bought into disposability in clothing," said Candace Corlett, a principal at WSL Strategic Retail in New York, a consulting company. "You buy the T-shirt at Old Navy that's good for eight weeks and, great, you throw it out. These aren't cherished pieces." "Transferring the concept to create disposable decorating is what will make sales grow" for Ikea, she added. Ikea's sales of home furnishings in North America totaled $1.2 billion last year, up 30 percent from the year before, according to HFN, a trade publication covering the furniture industry. In comparison, Target's sales of home furnishings reached $4.9 billion last year, Bed Bath & Beyond's totaled $2.9 billion, Pier 1's came to $1.5 billion and Crate and Barrel's were $739 million. The disposability concept is promoted most ardently in Ikea's commercials, directed by the filmmaker Spike Jonze, who directed "Being John Malkovich." In one spot, poignant music swells as a woman buys a new lamp and leaves the old one on the street in a driving rain. Suddenly, a man appears on screen. "Many of you feel bad for this lamp," the man says in a Swedish accent. "That is because you're crazy. It has no feelings, and the new one is much better." The ad campaign includes television commercials, print and Internet advertisements and billboards, along with Ikea's catalogs and materials in its 24 North American stores. Some billboards present giant-sized versions of Ikea price tags to which life-sized sofas, chairs, bookcases and other products will be attached, suspended hundreds of feet in midair. There will also be 24-page booklets advocating the Ikea philosophy bound into magazines aimed at trendy readers like Dwell, Metropolis, Vogue and Wallpaper. The commercials will run in local markets with Ikea stores during programs like "Frasier," "Friends," "Survivor," "Will & Grace" and the World Series. The print ads will run in magazines like Cosmopolitan, Entertainment Weekly, Essence, Real Simple, Spin, Surface and Vibe. --------------------- Link to a new Washington state Executive Order calling for sustainable practices by state agencies (forwarded by Sego Jackson and Marcia Rutan): http://www.governor.wa.gov/press/press-view.asp?pressRelease=1191&newsType=1 This Executive Order was signed 9/18/02 by Washington Governor Gary Locke. It requires, among other things, that each state agency establish sustainability objectives and prepare a biennial Sustainability Plan to modify its practices regarding resource consumption; vehicle use; purchase of goods and services; and facility construction, operation and maintenance. These plans should by guided by long-term goals that include: - Reduce or eliminate waste. - Shift to non-toxic, recycled and remanufactured materials in purchasing and construction. - Minimize energy and water use, and shift to clean energy for both facilities and vehicles. In related news, when Governor Locke signed the Executive Order on Sustainability, he also announced the winners of the tenth annual Governor's Awards for Pollution Prevention & Sustainable Practices. Winners included companies and agencies that reduced solid waste and toxics. A press release about the awards, including information on the winners, is at; http://access.wa.gov/news/article.asp?name=n0209096.htm --------------------- Excerpted from a message from Carl Weimer, RE Sources, Bellingham, WA: I have received an electronic ad for an America Recycles Day product multiple times. Seems like a perfect item to highlight as the "stupid idea of the month" for the Waste Prevention Forum. The product is the "Sip Sac" Recycled Bag Can Cooler, from Stan Miller & Associates, a company that sells promotional products. It's a bag, partly made from recycled paper, to go around people's beverage cans at an event or gathering. It can be printed with a company or organization name, the words, "America Recycles Day," and an American flag design. Carl's e-mail: carlw (AT) re-sources (DOT) org --------------------- Link to information on an all-day workshop, "Update on the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Rating System," to be held 10/24/02 in Chicago (forwarded by Michael Arny): http://www.escperform.org/meetings/ILagenda2.htm The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system drives improved indoor environments, increased energy efficiency, reduced emissions, and waste reduction. Participants in this workshop will learn how federal, state, and local government agencies are using LEED to drive sustainable building design and operation, and how energy savings performance contracting can help deliver the building upgrades needed to achieve sustainability. The workshop is sponsored by the Energy Services Coalition, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the Chicago Chapter of the USGBC. --------------------- Excerpted from a 9/16/02 release from Washington Citizens for Resource Conservation, Seattle, WA (forwarded by David Stitzhal): SEATTLE AREA SURVEY SHOWS CITIZENS SUPPORT PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY A telephone survey conducted for a Washington state non-profit advocacy group, Washington Citizens for Resource Conservation (WCRC), found overwhelming support for producer responsibility by Seattle area residents. The survey was prompted by increasing public concern about toxics contained in computers and televisions and the limited options for recycling those items. Computers and televisions contain significant quantities of mercury and lead and are difficult to disassemble for recycling. Because of their toxic components, computers, monitors and televisions are in the process of being banned from disposal at landfills and incinerators in many communities across the U.S. The study found that Seattle area residents overwhelmingly believe that electronics manufacturers should be responsible for designing easily recyclable, less toxic products, and for providing a safe and convenient way to recycle those products. In addition, the study revealed that retailers have a role to play. Residents would prefer to take their used computers back to local retailers for recycling. The study also noted that when faced with a "pre-paid" recycling fee added to the cost of the product, residents are highly unlikely to adjust their buying habits. They will still buy their television or computer of choice. But they would prefer to have the recycling fee included in the overall price of the product, rather than presented as a separate fee. Full survey results are available at: http://www.prrbiz.com/WCRC_Report2.pdf WCRC will release a new publication, "A Citizen's Guide to Producer Responsibility," this fall. For more information on the guide or the survey, contact WCRC at: wcrc2001 [AT] yahoo [DOT] com - end -