Exploring Green/Eco-Labels on Eckerd's Campus with Greenify

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Let's clarify with Greenify! 
(Made with Canva)

By Marina Lourenco

Introduction: What is Greenify? A social media-based education campaign aimed to start the conversation around green/eco-labels seen on Eckerd’s campus. Green/eco-labels are a common form of green marketing used to ostensibly signal to a consumer that the good or service is environmentally friendly and produced in a manner that did not harm the environment (Pezzullo, 2018). Products usually include consumer goods like food, cosmetics, and household items. While these labels are often informative, it is important to keep in mind the different types and the varying regulations surrounding each. Type I is a first-party labeling scheme that evaluates the environmental quality of a product compared to other products of comparable function. Type II, being the most common, is a second-party labeling scheme with claims made by the manufacturer, importer, retailer, or distributor about the environmental characteristics of a product or service. Whereas, Type III is a third-party scheme that uses voluntary declarations about the sustainability of a product's life cycle (T., 2020).


Campaign Design: Despite being an institution that prides itself on its environmental awareness, many misconceptions still surround green/eco-labels seen on the everyday products sold or prompted at Eckerd. The proposed solution was to better educate Eckerd students and reduce the overall distribution of misleading consumption-based products on campus. The goal was to make Eckerd students more aware consumers by the conclusion of this semester. With the overarching goal of inspiring the Eckerd Administration to reconsider selling or distributing any mislabeled products on campus within the next academic year. This could be further achieved by adding an amendment to the "Break Free From Plastics" pledge that further states the school will not spend college funds on nonessential products that remain mislabeled or underregulated in regards to their production, particularly those posing harm to the environment and animal or human welfare. The strategy was to further capitalize on the already progressive and environmentally forward initiatives put forth by Eckerd Administration and ensure that by further educating students, and later limiting these products altogether, we will perpetuate this common goal. Tactics included three main targets: a social media campaign, surveying students, and translating these findings into an accessible visual.

Social Media Campaign: This campaign was primarily run through Instagram and relied on audience engagement. A weekly "challenge" prompted students to message pictures of green/eco-labels seen around campus to be highlighted on the page. Each post contained a brief description of the label alongside additional resources to further explore.

Survey: This survey asked students to reflect on consumer habits as well as their overall awareness towards green/eco-labels. Students were asked to describe these labels in their own words, provide an example familiar to them and express its influence. On a scale from 1-5, 69% of participants reported that they either neutral or partly influenced by the use of these labels. In addition, 36.1% said that they were more motivated to purchase a product that has multiple labels. Another 47.2% of participates said that they are usually more motivated after looking them up, proving the need for continued education and awareness. Out of those 36 participants, 63.9% believed that Eckerd Administration does not take into account these labels when selling and promoting products on campus.

Infographic: Using the survey results, suggested labels were narrowed down to form a visual that best served the Eckerd community. This infographic includes five common labels, in addition to a scannable code (made with QR Code Generator) that leads to Greenify's website. This website includes links to different resources including a green/eco-label database provided by Ecolabel Index. The distribution of this infographic was done in collaboration with the Eckerd College Bookstore and Bon Appetite through the Triton Pub.



(Made with Canva)


This campaign is ongoing and looks forward to Eckerd's Greenify(ed) future!
To learn more follow @ec_labels on Instagram.
References:


Greenify. (2021). Carrd. https://greenifyec.carrd.co/

Penzzullo, P.C. & Cox, J.R. (2018). Environmental Communication and the Public Sphere (5th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications. 

T.(2020). the different types of ecolabels. ECOSYSTEMS UNITED. https://ecosystemsunited.com/2019/11/15/the-different-types-of-ecolabels/

With special thanks to Professor Huxster, Bon Appetite, and all those who contributed!

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