In Can Burt’s Turn Clorox Green?, the NYT’s Louise Story looks at the love story behind Burt’s Bees, the quirks of being both life and business partners and how Clorox’s future might just prove to be a more sustainable endeavor than its past. There are two big questions at stake: how green can Clorox get? and how will Burt’s fare in the process?

Already, many loyal Burt’s fans have felt betrayed by the buyout – or sellout depending on your perspective – last year to Clorox. Burt’s Bees was built on principles of environmental stewardship using local materials and emulating a down-to-earth, aw, shucks persona that struck a chord with health conscious, eco-driven consumers.

While Burt Shavitz’s image still appears on the line of health and beauty products, the reality of Burt’s Bees is far from Maine, far from local beekeepers and far from the hands of those who created the company. The last buyout, when founder Roxanne Quimby sold an 80% share to private equity firm AEA Investors, brought Burt’s Bees to the aisles of big stores like CVS, Walgreens and Target.

Now Clorox wants

to turn Burt’s Bees into a mainstream American brand sold in big-box stores like Wal-Mart. Along the way, Clorox executives say, they plan to learn from unusual business practices at Burt’s Bees — many centered on environmental sustainability. Clorox, the company promises, is going green. – NYT

One way Clorox is trying to get greener is through the launch of a new line of all natural cleaners, Green Works. Green Works products are made from plant-based ingredients like coconut and lemon oil, biodegradable, non-allergenic, are not tested on animals, and are packaged in recyclable containers.

Can Burt’s turn Clorox green? So far, the influential gradient seems to be from Burt’s to its parent company which in these eco-conscious times is the natural path of least resistance. What do you think about Burt’s and Clorox?

Post from: EveryJoe

What’s In Store for Burt’s Bees at Clorox?

Green Works will start appearing on store shelves throughout the country this month and the Sierra Club logo will start appearing on Green Works near Earth Day (April 22) this year.

The Green Works products will include: an all-purpose cleaner, a glass cleaner, a toilet bowl cleaner, a dilutable cleaner, and a bathroom cleaner. All are at least 99 percent natural made from ingredients like coconuts and lemon oil. The cleaners are biodegradable, non-allergenic, cruelty free and packaged in recyclable containers.

The products have been granted the “Design for Environment” certification from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. And the launch of Green Works is significant in that it marks the first nationally distributed natural cleaner – Clorox is big business.

Sierra Club Executive Director said, “One of the Sierra Club’s primary goals is to foster vibrant, healthy communities with clean water and air that are free from pollution. Products like Green Works help to achieve this goal in the home. We’re looking forward to working with Clorox and the Green Works team to promote a line of natural cleaning products for consumers who are moving toward a greener lifestyle,” according to GreenBiz.

Many critics of the company best known for manufacturing bleach products see Clorox as just trying to cash in on green market trends. Case in point, their recent acquisition of Burt’s Bees which many long time Burt’s fans called a sell-out rather than a buyout.

What do you think? Should we applaud green moves by a company that also produces environmentally damaging products? Is any green better than none at all?

Via GreenBiz

Post from: EveryJoe

Clorox Partners With Sierra Club on Marketing ‘Green Works’ Natural Cleaners

Wal-Mart: Green, greener or greenwashing?: While the mega store wasn’t founded on sustainable principles, other than sustaining the Walton’s, the corporation responsible for moving over 300 billion dollars worth of merchandise in 2007 continues to announce green initiatives that are standing up to scrutiny.

Budweiser ‘Double Mashing’ on GE Rice: Budweiser fans have a bad taste in their mouth, and it’s not just the beer. A recent analysis commissioned by Greenpeace has “detected the presence of genetically engineered (GE) rice (Bayer LL601) in three out of four samples taken” at an Anheuser Busch mill in Arkansas.

Is Burt’s Bees Still Sweet As Honey?: Burt’s Bees is one of those sweet start-up success stories. Boy keeps bees, boy meets girl, girl makes candles, candles evolve into a thriving, full line, all-natural cosmetic and personal care business worth millions kinda thing. One thing led to another and before you know it Burt’s Bees is worth $925 million on the open market.

Do Ethical Companies Survive the Buyout?: TreeHugger had an interesting post about the fate of small, ethical companies in big corporate buy-outs. The scenario has been playing out with some hard true green favorites taking on questionable parent companies – like Burt’s Bees, recently purchased by Clorox, and The Body Shop, who sold to L’Oreal last year.

Two Companies That Are Changing Small Wind: Wind power is getting a lot of attention these days as a fast growing segment of the renewable energy industry. While many of the headlines focus on “big” wind – industrial wind power – there are several companies working to advance wind power for residential use or “small” wind.

How the Hydrogen Market is Growing: The race for renewable energy is driving a new focus on hydrogen as a clean energy for home and transportation. Worldwide initiatives are fueling research and innovation to make hydrogen cost-effective and efficient. Here’s just a few of the latest headlines in the hydrogen economy.

Post from: EveryJoe

Green Biz Year in Review 2007