GE Taps GreenOrder To Help Create Ecomagination

Published 05-17-05

Submitted by GreenOrder

NEW YORK, NY - When General Electric Company, the world's largest corporation, set out a year ago to create what may be the most ambitious corporate environmental commitment ever, it turned to a group of experts at GreenOrder, Inc., a New York-based firm that has become a leader in advising businesses about environmental strategy and marketing.

GreenOrder worked with GE for nearly a year to develop the initiative, called "ecomagination," which will create profitable growth for GE's shareholders by helping its customers solve pressing environmental challenges.

Under ecomagination, GE has committed to more than double its research investment in clean technologies to $1.5 billion by 2010, and set a five-year target to double its current $10 billion in annual revenues from products and services that offer significant environmental advantages. The company also pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions 1 percent in absolute terms by 2012 and 30 percent in intensity by 2008 (both compared to 2004), and improve its energy efficiency 30 percent by 2012 (as measured in BTUs per revenue dollar).

"GreenOrder has been a valued partner in our development of ecomagination," said Beth Comstock, Corporate Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at GE. "GreenOrder provided independent analysis of the environmental and financial advantages of our products and helped us convey those benefits in ways that our customers, stakeholders and the public can appreciate."

GreenOrder started by helping GE to establish a clear vision and mission for ecomagination, along with standards for ecomagination products, which are defined as those that improve customers' operating performance or value proposition and significantly and measurably improve customers' environmental performance.

GreenOrder then worked with GE to create "scorecards" for an initial group of 17 ecomagination products, ranging from household appliances and lighting to advanced materials and water infrastructure to energy generation and transportation equipment.

The scorecards measure and assess the environmental benefits of ecomagination products relative to benchmarks such as competitors' best products, the installed base of products, regulatory standards, and historical performance. The scorecards also aggregate these benefits into product claims that can be found in GE's printed materials and advertisements, and particularly on the web at www.ge.com/ecomagination.

Examples of these claims include the following:

"If every U.S. household owning a washer not qualified by ENERGY STAR were to replace it with a GE PROFILE HARMONY washer, we could save enough water each year to fill nearly 400,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools, and consumers could save more than $1 billion in water bills."

"Through the use of GE's installed wind turbines, as much as 11.4 million tons of greenhouse gases will not be emitted each year, which is roughly equal to keeping nearly 2 million cars off the road."

"Compared to locomotives manufactured 20 years ago, many of which are still in use, the GE EVOLUTION Series locomotive reduces pollution by producing 83 percent fewer particulates and 60 percent fewer nitrogen oxide emissions."

"GE has an unparalleled range of offerings that can help solve challenges such as the need for clean energy, air, and water," said Andrew L. Shapiro, GreenOrder's founder and chief executive. "Even more significant, though, is GE's clear statement that helping customers solve these challenges will be good for business. When Jeff Immelt, GE's Chairman and CEO, says that 'increasingly for business, 'green' is green,' executives will listen and follow his lead."

Joel Makower, a senior consultant to GreenOrder who has been involved in sustainable business for nearly two decades as a writer, lecturer, and advisor to companies, added: "Ecomagination is a milestone for a number of reasons, including that it's a long-term commitment with specific targets made at the company's highest level. GE has taken this process seriously and done its homework to make sure its claims and goals are credible. With GreenOrder's help, the company has translated rigorous scientific analysis into credible, authentic messages."

GE was introduced to GreenOrder by Interbrand, an international brand consultancy that - like BBDO, GE's global advertising firm - is part of Omnicom. Interbrand and GreenOrder have collaborated on strategy and marketing projects involving energy and the environment for other large corporate clients.

ABOUT GREENORDER

GreenOrder helps companies maximize the value of sustainability - making environmental excellence, energy innovation, and corporate responsibility drivers of profitable growth. Founded in 2000 and based in New York City, GreenOrder combines world-class strategy, rigorous factual analysis, and effective marketing and messaging to help some of the world's largest enterprises turn their investments in sustainability into concrete competitive advantage. Recent clients include Office Depot, Pfizer, the NYC2012 Olympic bid, and Silverstein Properties, which GreenOrder is advising on the redevelopment of the World Trade Center.

GreenOrder

GreenOrder helps companies maximize the value of sustainability - making environmental excellence, energy innovation, and corporate responsibility drivers of profitable growth. Founded in 2000 and based in New York City, GreenOrder (www.greenorder.com) combines world-class strategy, rigorous factual analysis, and effective marketing and messaging to help some of the world's largest enterprises - and clean-tech startups - turn their investments in sustainability into concrete competitive advantage. An example is GE's groundbreaking "ecomagination" growth initiative, which GreenOrder has helped GE to develop and implement. Other recent clients include Office Depot, Pfizer, the NYC2012 Olympic bid, and Silverstein Properties, which GreenOrder is advising on the World Trade Center redevelopment.

GE Taps GreenOrder To Help Create Ecomagination

GE Taps GreenOrder To Help Create Ecomagination

GreenOrder

GreenOrder

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