Here at EarthPM we promised to provide you with resources for understanding the implications of sustainability and the environment, and “green” on projects, on project managers, and on project management as a discipline.
We found one today that happens to have a story about Chinese brands (and international brands doing business in China) and their environmental problems.
The resource is worth bookmarking (and, as it turns out, watching), because it covers much more than this story. But we thought it was a good story to show you not only the connection between green and business and projects, but to show how such a resource could be helpful to PMs.
The resource is the Going Green TV show. We also found a corresponding CNN web page that covers many of the same stories. That link is here.
So bookmark those links, and set your DVR or TiVO to record the Going Green TV show.
But, as promised, here’s a digest of the lead story that brought you here.
The story opens with coverage of one of China’s well-loved beers, Tsingtao. From the story:
What many do not know is that the Tsingtao Brewery Group was recently accused of violating environmental standards. It is just one of 20 companies named on a “polluters’ blacklist,” including major companies such as Hitachi, Philips and China’s most popular instant noodle maker, Master Kong.
The Green Choice Consumer Action list is backed by 34 different NGOs, including the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, Green Earth Volunteers, Friends of Nature and Wild China. They allege the companies either polluted or failed to disclose their emissions.
If you were to go to that list, you would indeed find Tsingtao, other major Chinese brands, and recognizable Western brands like Philips lighting, and Motorola on the list. This is not a list you want to be on. According to the article the Chinese population is increasingly interested in, and willing to spend more for, green products, and is increasingly eschewing brands that have a bad green image.
“I think in China issues of the environment are strong and topical at the moment,” says consumer analyst Ray Ally of Landor Associates.
Landor recently conducted a brand survey that shows consumers in China are actually more concerned about green issues than consumers in the United States or Europe. For example, 45 percent of those surveyed in China said they consider it very important that a company is green when thinking about which brands to purchase, compared to 23 percent in the United States.
So – what does this have to do with project management?
Well, take Tsingtao beer as an example. Watch the video on the CNN page. Another link here for your convenience. Note that Tsingtao invested $18M in the last three years trying to reduce pollutants coming from their plant – and that wasn’t enough. More money will be spent in projects like this – to clean up not only the actual pollutants, but the brand image for these companies. That means projects being launched in terms of marketing communications. In other words, this is part of the green wave we discuss in out upcoming book. It helps to be aware of and riding this wave and not overcome by it and drowning.
The increasing awareness of the Chinese consumer is a piece of the green wave – a potentially huge contributor to it.
As for the resources, we also think that as a PM you’d enjoy this story about Nike. Think about how many projects and project managers were involved in these efforts. Think about the way the company successfully links its environmental management policy with those projects.
Be ready.
Say, look what THEY’RE doing!!!
One of our favorite cartoonists is Gary Larson, who for many years drew “The Far Side“.
And one of our favorite Far Side cartoons was one in which he depicts a flock of ducks walking on the ground in a”V” formation. One of the ducks in the back of this walking group looks up and sees a flock of ducks flying in a v-formation. This duck exclaims, to no-one in particular, “Saaay, look what they’re doing!”. We couldn’t find the actual image of this cartoon, but you get the idea. We know you do.
This “flying” flock, obviously, is progressing much more quickly and efficiently towards their goal, and is using the power of the flock more effectively – and in general they’re behaving in a way which has much, much higher benefit and is taking advantage of the inherent capacity given to them by nature.
We got that feeling today when we read this story about how China’s government is stimulating the solar industry there.
That article is one of many. Here’s another. That one, from Reuters, has this to say:
“Beijing’s bid to boost the solar energy sector could draw more than $10 billion in private funding for projects and put China on track to become a leading market for solar equipment in the next three years.
China’s government said in March it will offer to pay 20 yuan ($2.90) per watt of solar systems fixed to roofs and which have a capacity of more than 50 kilowatt peak (kwp).
The subsidy, which could cover half the cost of installing the system, was popular among developers, attracting applications equivalent to the building of 1 gigawatt of solar power.
One GW, or 1 billion watts, is enough electricity to power a million homes.
China is expected to raise its 2020 solar power generation target more than fivefold to at least 10 GW. With incentives, analysts expect over 2 GW in new solar capacity will be installed as early as 2011, up from just over 100 MW in 2008.”
These incentives have stimulated research and development as well as implementation of solar projects in China. So you can see why we’re interested: more projects = more project managers.
So the question is this: is your country walking or flying?