Looking for Eco-Friendly Products: Where Will Tree-Huggers Go?

By Heidi Genoist -- Tradeshow Week, 2/19/2007

If you don't feel like launching an event or adding an element to your existing tradeshow for eco-friendly products in the markets you serve, don't worry: Someone else gladly will.

The next market to watch is actually a sub-market of those you're already in. With environmental awareness seeping into the collective consciousness of U.S. citizens, green products, services and processes are cropping up in just about every industry.

Not long after President George W. Bush declared that the country must end its addiction to foreign oil, former Vice President Al Gore released his documentary on climate change, "An Inconvenient Truth." Messages like these — along with the Iraq war, Hurricane Katrina and rising gas prices — have gotten more and more people thinking about the environment, natural resources and conservation in a new light.

Meanwhile, organic farmers and manufacturers are touting their pesticide-, chemical-, preservative- and cruelty-free products as more environmentally friendly — and consumers are buying it.

The Organic Consumers Assn. estimated that U.S. consumer spending on organic foods rose to more than $5 billion in 2005, a 22-percent increase over the previous year. And a recent survey of home builders by Green Builder Media indicated that home buyers were willing to pay 8 to 11 percent more for an environmentally-friendly home.

These are just two examples of rising demand for so-called green alternatives, demand that will, in turn, drive innovation, as retailers seek sources for satisfying their customers' wishes.

While some tradeshow organizers have yet to ask themselves whether they can provide a forum for this emerging market trend, a few are already answering the question.

Much of what's happening at tradeshows in response to the growing demand for green products is happening off the exhibit floor, in conferences. A good example is the Ecoethics Conference, held Feb. 3 at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino as part of the WSA Show in Las Vegas, which ran Feb. 1–4.

Leaders in the creation and distribution of shoes made from environmentally friendly materials — companies like Simple Shoes and Patagonia Footwear — led the conference, which was hosted and promoted by the World Shoe Assn. Their goal was to generate awareness among industry colleagues, to share ideas on going green in the hope that increased demand from manufacturers would spur increased availability of eco-friendly materials.

Angel Martinez, CEO of Deckers Outdoor (parent company of Simple Shoes, the leader, by far, in green shoe development), spoke about how years ago Simple began extracting used tires from landfills and recycling them as shoe soles. "We're just one company," he said. "Imagine if all of us starting doing it. There'd be no more tires in landfills."

Craig Throne, director of Patagonia Footwear, added, "Concerns for the environment are good for the bottom line ... There's no business to be done on a dead planet."

Green production is "the future. There's no going back," said Natalie Fausty, a market analyst with Promostyl West Coast. Citing a recent consumer study indicating that more than 30 percent of buyers would choose an environmentally friendly alternative if it were presented, she added that, in her own trend forecasting, "buyers are more educated, so they're more critical of the products they choose ... and eco-friendliness is a major deciding factor."

Mary Krueger, a spokeswoman for the conference, said about 135 people had registered, but it was likely many more than that showed up. Krueger said it was too early to say how the enthusiastic response would affect plans for future WSA Shows, but one panelist predicted that four times as many people would be at next year's conference.

Many in the group that led the conference already have experience with exhibiting in a green show. Leigh Meyer of Deckers Outdoor stood up during the question-and-answer portion of the conference to tell the audience about how some companies had been getting together to discuss eco-initiatives during Outdoor Retailer, a semiannual Nielson Business Media show in Salt Lake City.

With prodding from companies like Patagonia, OR was one of the first to formalize the green component of its show by starting a program a few years ago called Green Steps. It promotes OR exhibitors that use green practices and materials in their products and services, and eventually led to a commitment by Nielson (formerly VNU) to institute its own sustainable initiatives in the production of OR and its other sporting group shows.

Another major tradeshow that's bringing together leaders in green production from its industry is MAGIC Marketplace. The Feb. 13–16 show in Las Vegas will introduce two seminars on organic apparel, co-hosted by the Organic Exchange and the Organic Trade Assn.

Like the WSA conference, the MAGIC seminar will feature innovations in sustainable textile production, in response to retailers' increased demand for eco-friendly products. In addition, MAGIC's sourcing section will have a networking and information area, co-hosted by the Organic Exchange and the Organic Trade Assn., "where people will be able to ask questions about all things green," said Chris McCabe, MAGIC vice president and general manager.

The Organic Exchange, a nonprofit that promotes the expansion of organic agriculture, has been participating in MAGIC since 2004. But at least one apparel-industry player thinks the top-10 show isn't doing enough to cater to the eco-friendly market. Howie Gabe, a former retailer, sourcing agent and participant in MAGIC, has launched the Global Eco Show last week, Feb. 12–15, at the Venetian in conjunction with ASAP Global Sourcing Show.

With a projected 23 exhibitors in a show that's open (for free) to the public, Global Eco is clearly no match for MAGIC, which drew nearly 4,000 exhibitors and an estimated 112,000 total attendees (including exhibitors) in February 2006.

In addition, Global Eco touts itself as an environmental fair, where businesspeople and consumers alike can see products and gather information, rather than a business-to-business-only event.

"It's not about letting in only retailers," said Gabe. "It's about letting in anybody who wants to know what environmentalism is all about. They don't understand all this stuff, and when you educate them, they get enthusiastic. I've gotten calls from 15 or 20 entrepreneurs opening up new stores."

Still, the show's biggest sponsors are in the apparel industry — companies like Sportif, Sustain Lane, and Indigenous Designs — and the scheduling to coincide with MAGIC is no coincidence.

McCabe didn't comment on Global Eco. Instead, he emphasized that he was happy to have two of the nation's foremost authorities at his show, as well as flagship exhibitors like Quicksilver and Russo Apparel exhibiting their green products on the showfloor.

He added that MAGIC is organized by traditional fashion categories (men's, women's, kids, etc.) to make shopping easier for buyer attendees. For now, green products will continue to be shown within those areas.

For the moment, at least, there's not much comparison between Global Eco and MAGIC, but what happens if green exhibitors have two major tradeshows in another industry to choose from? That could be the case this year in the home furnishings business.

The World Market Center's Jan. 29–Feb. 2 Las Vegas Market featured several companies touting their green furniture and décor. The WMC's Style File, a tip sheet telling buyers where to scout design trends, listed "the green trend" as its No. 1 thing to look for, "with manufacturers reflecting the natural look in form and style."

Urban Woods owner Trevor Webb drew lots of attention at the Market with his Beyond Sustainable line of furniture made of reclaimed wood, organic cotton and water-based finishes.

Urban Woods was located near fellow sustainable furniture makers Mountain Woods and Greenington in the Market's temporary exhibits, off the World Market Center campus. "This has been a great show," said Greenington's David DeCaro. "The location's not great, but the product's been selling itself."

Asked if they would prefer a show catering to eco-friendly furniture makers like themselves, Webb and DeCaro said there already was one — and representatives from it had dropped by to sign them up.

That show is Las Vegas Market's biggest competitor and the home furnishings' industry's top dog, the High Point (N.C.) Market, scheduled March 26–April 1.

According to Webb and DeCaro, the High Point Market will include a section featuring green furniture at Market Square. Webb, a 15-year industry veteran who has been to High Point several times, plans to exhibit there. DeCaro said he might have to sit this one out, in order to catch up on all the orders placed at the Las Vegas Market, but he would be interested if the green show were back in High Point in October.

Both said they would be reluctant to exhibit in a show — green-specific or otherwise — outside the well-established furniture markets. "It just wouldn't draw the traffic of furniture buyers," Webb said.

High Point officials couldn't be reached by press time to confirm their plans for the green section of their market.

World Market Center Director of Marketing and Public Relations Dana Pretner said that, although she uncovered many exhibitors with eco-friendly products, "in terms of us launching a show with that in mind, we're exploring it, but we have no firm plans as of now."

One group that seems to have gotten it right — before anyone else could — is the Intl. Council of Shopping Centers. Understanding that sustainable building is here to stay, the association for shopping mall builders, developers, operators and tenants has added several related elements at this year's ICSC Spring Convention, Leasing Mall & Trade Expo, scheduled May 20–23.

Rudolph E. Milian, ICSC senior staff vice president and director of professional development services, said the show's trade expo will include a large number of exhibits featuring companies that provide environmentally sensitive products and equipment for retail stores and shopping centers. Accordingly, "an entire area is being devoted to this," he said.

At press time, sales were still going on and Milian couldn't predict how many square feet the section would encompass, but in addition to it, he noted, "we will have six booths in the lobby of the Las Vegas Convention Center to exhibit what the industry is doing in this area and what our association is doing."

This educational area will show trends in sustainable building and demonstrate tactics stores and shopping centers can employ, such as using sustainable sites, water conservation technology, renewable energy sources and recycling materials. It will highlight examples of green shopping centers, such as Yorkdale in Toronto and Abercorn Commons in Savannah, Ga.; as well as green stores, such as Whole Foods in Sarasota, Fla., and Home Depot in Calgary, Alberta.

Lastly, the event will showcase organizations that have received ICSC awards for recycling and sustainable design.