Leverage sustainability to reach customers

- It used to be that consumers simply expected products to work, be sold in a nearby store or on a website, have a familiar brand name, and be affordable. But the rules have changed and meeting consumers heightened needs and expectations is a challenging task. Companies not only have to sustain their business with quality, performance, price, and convenience, but also manage the company and its products and services with low environmental and social impacts. With green awareness now becoming more mainstream, store shelves and internet pages are beginning to burst with messages about the environmental performance of various products. But marketing businesses, products, or even buildings as green or sustainable can be tricky. It can be argued that there's no such thing as a truly green product because every product, no matter how thoughtfully designed, uses resources and creates waste. Electric cars, for example, have no tailpipe emissions, but their batteries contain rare earth…