Friday, June 13, 2008

A Step (In Cute Shoes) In the Right Direction

As global climate change and other environmental impacts get more attention, more companies are attempting to somehow quantify the "green-ness" of their products. One attempt to do just that worth checking out is Patagonia's Footprint Chronicles. The Chronicles track the impact of specific products from their design to their delivery. Information provided includes distance traveled, CO2 emissions, waste generated, and energy consumed. Patagonia openly points out, from the company's perspective, what is good about a particular product and its lifecycle and what could use some work. There are currently ten products for which a Footprint Chronicle exists, and Patagonia plans on adding a few new products each season. Some folks question how well various methods of "footprint reporting" actually measure ecological impact and, perhaps more important, whether this information will change consumer behavior.

No comments: