Harvard Business Review-Winning in the Green Frenzy

Harvard Business Review Article:  Winning in the Green Frenzy.   Gregory Unruh and Richard Ettonson.  November 2010.   

Green competition is shifting from a race to launch ecofriendly products to a battle over what actually constitutes a green product. Unless you’re engaged in the debate and in shaping the rules, you risk being assessed against sustainability standards you can’t
meet.

Successful companies leverage opportunities to become an influential or dominant force in the green-standards
battle. That requires understanding the standards that exist in your industry and also your own green capabilities.
Once you have that understanding, you can determine which of four strategies is best for your company:

1. adopt the existing standards;
2. co-opt and modify them to suit your capabilities and processes;
3. define standards for your industry; or
4. break away from existing ones and craft your own.