A Buyers Guide to Green Stuff – An Interview with Aimee Heilbrunn of Ecoscene

The sixth installment in our on-going Leaders of Sustainability series of interviews with executives and entrepreneurs of sustainability-minded business is with Aimee Heilbrunn, Co-Founder of Ecoscene.  Ecoscene reviews and provides information about eco-friendly products and services through their website and weekly e-magazine.

As always, our hope is that entrepreneurs and business leaders of sustainability-focused businesses will find this series helpful and instructive in growing their businesses and dealing with both the challenges and opportunities facing small business trying to make a profit while reducing their impact on the environment.

I spoke with Aimee at her office in Chicago, Illinois.

Justin – Hi Aimee, thanks so much for taking the time to speak with us today. Firstly, please tell us a little bit about yourself and Ecoscene?

Aimee – Thanks Justin, it’s great to be speaking with you today.

As you mentioned, I’m the Co-Founder of Ecoscene.  The idea for Ecoscene really began when I adopted my dog back in the fall of 2007.  It was around that time when there were growing concerns about products coming out of China, especially for pets and children. I wanted to buy a dog bed but was nervous about the selection at the local “big box” stores – so, I took my search on-line.

I came across this great company out of Montana called West Paw that made dog beds out of recycled soda bottles.  The price was a little more than “traditional” dog beds, but still affordable. I bought the bed made from recycled soda bottles; my dog just loved it, and I was really happy that it was responsibly made. It was at that point that I thought I can’t be the only person looking for environmentally friendly, sustainably-made products.

I thought through the idea, did some market research, and determined that there was a marketplace for those of us who wanted more than just some basic information about green products to make better, more informed, positive purchase decisions.

Justin - Ecoscene has been up and running for just over a year.  Is that correct?

Aimee - Yes, Ecoscene is now heading into its second year. This has been my first experience as an entrepreneur, and I am really excited that I am able to spend my days pursuing my passion for the environment and sustainability.

Justin – In your research, are you finding more environmentally products today than a year ago?

Aimee – That’s a difficult question to answer.

I don’t know if there are more products today, or if there is just greater visibility on those products that are available.  However, over the last ten years, the market for environmentally friendly products has definitely grown, particularly in the last three years or so.  

Justin- Historically, environmentally friendly products have been more expensive, and didn’t perform as well as “traditional” products. Has this changed?

Aimee - Quality is the first criteria we consider when looking at products or services to review. If a product doesn’t work or do what it says it going to do – it’s environmentally credentials are not really going to help the product succeed in the marketplace.

In terms of price, we want to be sure that if an item is more expensive that it’s worth that extra cost. It may not be true today, but I believe over time, products that are environmentally friendly and ethically produced will be very price competitive. Making products in a responsible manner does cost more today, and I think a lot manufacturers do want to do the right thing, but they also need to keep their companies profitable. We encourage them through our feedback to create products in a responsible manner and to charge a modest premium.

Justin – Are manufacturers and retailers providing greater visibility on things like where a given product is made, how it’s made, and what went into the product? And do you see more and more consumers searching for this kind of information before they make their final purchase decision?

Aimee - I think that’s one of the things we hope to accomplish with Ecoscene; doing that digging and research on behalf of consumers.

Companies are more upfront nowadays, but I think people have less and less time, and feel overwhelmed by the amount of information available.  Consumers don’t necessarily want to read through the entire mission statement and operational practices of a particular manufacturer or retailer; that’s where we come in. We are providing consumers with clear, precise information, that’s easy to understand and facilitates better choices based upon how well a product performs, as well as its environmental credentials.

Justin:  Do you see the issue of “green-washing”, trying to market and sell products as “green” that have less than stellar environmental credentials, becoming more or less of an issue?

Aimee – I do see this as a significant and ongoing issue, but I also think that different people have different definitions of green-washing.

About the same time we started Ecoscene, Clorox introduced their new line of cleaning products that were marketed as environmentally friendly. The green movement was concerned that this large multinational conglomerate which had, for so many years, manufactured products considered by many to be highly toxic, suddenly wanted to be seen as “green”.

Now, I live in a major urban center, and I have the benefit of being able to choose from a wide selection of environmentally friendly cleaners: Mrs. Meyer’s, Seventh Generation, or one of a number of other environmentally friendly cleaners that are readily available. For people who live in outside of major cities, they may not enjoy as much choice, and the “green” cleaning product from the large, multinational corporation may be the only one available.  Companies like Clorox that are providing these types of alternative products are helping both educate consumers, as well as providing them with an opportunity to have a better, more environmentally friendly product.

So, to answer the question, I do think greenwashing is a problem. But I also think that consumers and those in the green movement need to move beyond just labeling something “greenwashing” because it comes from a large company.

Justin- As a company that assesses eco-friendly goods, have you incorporated sustainability into other elements of your business?

Aimee – Well, we operate a virtual office so our environmental footprint is quite small for starters. In our home offices, each of us uses energy efficient lighting and we print as little as possible. We also have the benefit of being able to try out the very latest energy saving products. As an example, we just reviewed a great product called ByeBye Standby Energy Saver, which helps curtail power leaching and reduces energy consumption by providing a standby mode for your devices; we’ve given it our highest rating – it’s “ecoscene approved.”

Justin – Now that brings me to my next question. You’ve developed a rating system for your product reviews that looks at many factors such as functionality, materials, conservation and packaging to name a few. The best reviewed products receive an “ecoscene approved” badge. Please tell us a little bit more about your rating system, why it was implemented and how it has helped your readers.

Aimee – We wanted to create a very simple, easily understood system that helped our readers quickly determine how a given product performed across a range of criteria that are important to consumers that are looking for products that not only perform well, but do so in an environmentally friendly way.

For the very best products, those that perform well across all criteria, we designate those as “ecoscene approved.”  It’s only those products and services that go “above and beyond”, those with a real “wow” factor, that get awarded the “ecoscene approved” badge.  We have reviewed nearly 80 products so far, and less than 10% are considered “ecoscene approved”. We’ve set the bar pretty high.

Justin – What valuable lessons have you learned that you could pass along to other entrepreneurs?

Aimee – Well, being primarily an on-line business, I would recommend that any new entrepreneur be very diligent and spend the time to research your web platform, and understand all of the various elements that are required to make an on-line business successful. It’s important to understand the different technology platforms and which is the best fit for your business.

Justin – Do you have a favorite business book of all time?

Aimee – I absolutely love the book “The Customer Comes Second”. It is about how companies are able to provide great customer service by treating their employees very well, holding them in the highest regard, and empowering them to make the right decisions for the customer.

Justin – What music CD do you have in your car?

Aimee – Actually, I don’t have a car.

I love to run, so I have a lot of pop and top ’40s stuff in my iPod to keep me going on my runs.  I would probably be too embarrassed to mention some of bands but it’s really good running music.  So, we will leave it at that.

Justin - Sounds good. Here is my last question. Is there a business, political or other figure that you consider inspirational?

Aimee – Because I feel so strongly about great customer service, I really admire a company called Zappos.com and its CEO, Tony Hsieh. They are, far and away, one of the most transparent, customer-service oriented companies. In fact, I follow their CEO on Twitter and it’s really apparent that they treat their employees with great respect, and empower them to provide amazing customer experiences.

Justin – Well, thank you so much Aimee for taking the time to speak today. If readers are interested in learning more about your company, and reading some of your on-line reviews, or even recommending a product or service you should review, how can they reach you?

Aimee – The best thing to do is visit our website at www.ecosceneinc.com

Aimee Heilbrunn of Ecoscene

© 2009, Justin. All rights reserved.