The latest gimmick, Go Green and Eco-friendly, or is it the trend preventing the end? Why does environmentally friendly sell, and why sell environmentally friendly? Having recently completed a carbon footprint analysis as well as an energy auditing course, Phillip Hopkinson’s eye is set firmly on a sustainable future, a subject that is close to both his and Tim Forshaw’s hearts. ‘Profit AND Planet, we’ve got to integrate the two’ said Hopkinson.
BRE was founded in 1997 as a marketing and agency business for packaging and plastic technical support. In 2000, they became agents for GN thermoforming machines and gradually began to focus on more of this industry, forging agreements with suppliers of materials, specialised trays, films and packaging machines. In the last four to five years the company has focused on acquiring agencies for various energy saving solutions for the food and packaging industries and is now moving towards the goal of ‘Planet AND Profit’. Hopkinson started working at BRE in 2006.
Their strong pull towards promoting, selling and sourcing ‘environmentally friendly’ products is viewed as simple business evolution. ‘The reality is that most sustainability projects carried out by business are driven ultimately by cost saving. The two have to and most often do run hand in hand’ said Hopkinson. ‘A key focus for us is energy. The days of relatively inexpensive energy are numbered. We are not the first or only business to be focusing in on this area but we do have a good mix of business experience to help us identify the opportunities.’ Despite their products being viewed as ‘environmentally friendly’ Hopkinson prefers to steer clear of giving anything this name. ‘The word in itself is rather a paradox’ he said, ‘The only way we as humans could really be environmentally friendly would be to remove ourselves from the planet.’ So what is the solution? ‘There is no turning the boat fully round now, I believe we have gone too far down the road of destruction’ said Hopkinson, but ‘what we can do is as much as possible to create pockets of sustainability to slow the boat down and give us time to again evolve with what we have created. I am a great believer that technology will get us out of this hole.’
Foreshaw’s view on recycling and biodegradable packaging products sets a standard for the ethos that BRE promotes. ‘The problem with compostable and biodegradable products,’ he said ‘is that they are wasteful of resources.’ Forshaw believes that compostable packaging is a great alternative if there is no prospect of recycling, but recycling must be seen as the more sustainable approach in SA. ‘Wide use of biodegradable products may lead to more littering and if not properly managed, to the contamination of recycling streams’ he said, ‘A long term ideal is the wider use of renewable resource creating viable materials which can also be recycled.’
Saving’ is obviously very important to BRE, providing solutions that could help ‘save’ the planet as well as save energy and then ultimately save on cost. ‘We focus on the core benefits, immediate benefits and short term financial saving’ said Hopkinson. Having utmost faith in what they can provide, Hopkinson said that the new initiatives which BRE is working on have been thoroughly researched, and ‘we believe in them!’ Having personally worked with the Cold Stop Curtains in chill chain environments the benefits are clear, not only for chill chain integrity but also on the bottom line. ‘Simply put, our approach is to partner a client with an opportunity, one solution does not always fit all and we are very realistic about that. It’s not just selling at all cost, it is in fact ‘sustainable’ selling, said Hopkinson.
The SA food and packaging industry has a long way to go in terms of a changing mind shift when choosing environmentally-sound products over other products which are invariably cheaper. BRE believe that there are a lot of forward thinking people out there but ‘as I know myself if the figures don’t stack up then it’s extremely difficult to motivate ‘green projects’’ said Hopkinson. We are behind Europe in terms of educating the consumer in SA. ‘There is a ‘push-pull’ factor needed here’ he said, ‘customer education will pull eventually but the wheel has already been invented. Government intervention in its various ways is required ultimately to push change through financial incentives. Foreign, investment has and will become more selective about environmental issues and this again will push change.’
So in this current environment, are the products BRE provides viable solutions for a developing country? We believe that over time our products will become even more viable. ‘It’s important to remember here a lot of initial investment has gone into research and development on these products and that is why they do what they say they will do. Research and development is costly but the only way to protect your integrity. Basically we strive forward to assist our partners in sustainable business practices wherever possible’ said Hopkinson.
Unfortunately, it is true that the environment isn’t above anything in business until proven profitable. The question remains what is really worth saving? BRE’s approach tries to strike a balance proving that in choosing sustainable alternatives, which may at times be more costly in the outset, you will ultimately end up saving energy, and so saving money, which in turn contributes to saving the environment, an eco-economy. ‘We like to think we have gone the traditional route of; service, honesty and integrity. If the product does not work for a client then it is not sustainable’ said Hopkinson.
