Principled Innovation LLC

Blog Action Day: An example of socially responsible innovation

October 15th, 2007

Today is Blog Action Day, and I am pleased to share an example of socially responsible innovation about which I am very excited. In relation to the enormity of the environmental challenges we face going forward, this idea may seem rather small. But it is also simple, elegant and easily accessible to everyone, three attributes that are critical to changing how people think about their personal environmental responsibility, a shift that in turn should help accelerate the pace of innovation adoption in this area.

Recently, I learned about a product called EcoHangers, which are clothing hangers made from recycled paper, i.e., no new trees, and intended for use by dry cleaners. They are very strong and biodegradable, which is a great change of pace from our current use of over 3.5 billion wire hangers every year, most of which end up in landfills.

Unfortunately, EcoHangers cost more than wire hangers, so their creators came up with a brilliant insight to defray that additional expense: they turned the hangers into an advertising vehicle! They call it “in-home media.” Now that is totally cool!

This simple idea is a socially responsible innovation that is tangible and practical. It is exactly the kind of powerful idea that all of us should be able to support enthusiastically. Ask your dry cleaner to consider EcoHangers for his or her business, or encourage your members (or your association) to explore advertising options.  Help spread the word!

Entry Filed under: Principled Innovation Blog, What's New?, Innovation, Associations, Extreme Makeover, The Association Innovator, Simplicity, We Have Always Done It That Way, Socially Responsible Innovation