Abstract How many U.S. consumers believe global warming is the most serious ecological issue facing the world today? According to a study by Stanford University, one-third. More than half the respondents view this issue as extremely or very important, almost double the number just a decade ago.” (Rothaermel, 2017) The Home Depot responded to consumers' demands for more green products. On Earth Day 2007, it launched a new product label called Eco Options, using strict criteria to designate products as ecologically friendly in five ways: Sustainable Forestry. Clean Air, Water Conservation, Energy Efficient, and Healthy Home. (Rothaermel, 2017) The desire to earn Eco Options from The Home Depot has spurred its suppliers to innovate by offering: …show more content…
The Home Depot, which has been working to improve its sustainability since Earth Day in 1990. In 2015, The Home Depot exceeded its carbon reduction goals, reducing supply chain emissions by 35 percent, a multi-year achievement. (Cassidy, 2017) That's the equivalent of taking 200 million miles of transported product off the highways. In another measure, eliminating 4,000 truck shipments helped avoid 4.132 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. (Cassidy, 2017) That gained The Home Depot a 2016 SmartWay Excellence Award from the US Environmental Protection Agency, its fourth award in a row from the SmartWay program, which helps shippers and carriers meet sustainability goals and increase freight transportation efficiency. (Cassidy, 2017) The Home Depot has a 10-year goal of reducing in-store energy consumption by 20 percent by 2020. In January, The Home Depot partnered with EDP Renewables North America to purchase wind energy from EDP's Los Mirasoles Wind Farm in McAllen, Texas. The energy purchased from the 125-turbine wind farm is enough to power 100 Home Depot stores, the company said. (Cassidy, 2017) Is it ethical to charge a premium for green label products if they already …show more content…
With this manufacturers in every industry have responded by labeling their products with distinctive “Eco” badging. There is a cost associated with this labeling and is therefore pass on to the consumer, even if the products already existed. In mid-April, Home Depot began rolling out "Eco Options" products and signage in its nearly 1,900 U.S. stores. Formal groups of earth-friendly products from a variety of makers are prominently displayed and promoted with icons and posters featuring a highly graphic logo, which was first tested on a smaller scale in the company's 155 Canadian stores for nearly three years before hitting the U.S. Designed by Dallas-based Richards Group, the company's creative agency, the marque is simple and clear: An orange--Home Depot's signature hue--halo crowns geometric silhouettes of a house and a tree. Already, the label is associated with more than 2,500 products, ranging from compact fluorescent light bulbs to organic plants in biodegradable pots. Many, but not all, are verified by Scientific Certification Systems, an independent standards development and certification company. (Jana, 2007) SWOT Analysis of Home Depot and Ford Motor Company; which has a stronger ecological