Game-changing gadget presented at 2009 TED conference may become a game-changer in corporate social responsibility, green products, transparency, and eco-consumerism.   Pattie Maes at MIT lab presents (see below) a “Sixth Sense” gadget project spearheaded by Pranav Mistry.   “It’s a wearable device with a projector that paves the way for profound interaction with our environment” both literally and figuratively.

Access to detailed information about anything, at anytime, and anywhere  has been been the dream of the telecom and digital device industry for the past decade.  Up until recently issues of speed, size, and medium restricted the actual implementation of such a feat.  That is about to change and what will that mean.

What will happen when your consumer/customer can walk up to your product and instantaneously (this is the key word here) learn about:

• the chemicals you use in your product
• the online opinion ratings at amazon, yelp, epinions etc.
• how your company’s supply chain sources from factories using child labor, pollutes the environment, or any number of child labor in  factories
• the press singing praises for your green/eco-friendly business practices with an interview with your corporate sustainability officer.
• your companies social and environmental strategies in your latest CSR / Sustainability Report
• a demonstration of your product out performing the competition
• a Youtube demonstration of your product not living up to expectations.
• cautionary labels for drug interactions
• your CEO/Board of Directors/Sr VP has just been arrested or investigated for fraud, etc.
• or simply a CSR / green / or eco  RED-YELLOW-GREEN rating for your product as demonstrated in the video.

What are the ramifications of this?

HUGE!

The green/eco-conscious consumer is about to get a huge lever in the is it green or is it greenwashing game.  The average consumer will start to discover the truth(?) of your business and product not only from your marketing, but from every other source out there.  The name of the new game is transparency, corporate responsibility and sustainability.

This is an opportunity.  While some will see this as a threat and a burden, it is in reality an opportunity to leapfrog the competition and dramatically reduce risks.   Those companies who are green/responsible/sustainable, communicate their green/responsible/sustainable work, and actually do green/socially responsible/sustainable work will lead the pack.  Those who only talk about it (marketing/greenwash) will fall behind.

To take advantage of this opportunity, it would be wise to start now in your corporate responsibility and sustainability work.  Hire a Sustainability or Corporate Responsibility team that can help your company, mitigate risk, see opportunities, and shape the impact and ultimately the message about who the company is.   This is bigger than a marketing issue it is a corporate leadership issue.

What CSR implications do you see?

Copyright © 2009 Matthew Rochte, Opportunity Sustainability ~ Share with attribution