Going Green is all about Convenience and Revolutionary Thinking

Over the last several years, the term “going green” has created a wave of people and businesses across the world more aware of the positive outcome to being more conscious of the environment and how we treat it.

For businesses in the consumer electronics space, for example, as new devices are introduced, there has been an increase in recycling and take-back programs so pieces and parts of these older, outdated devices can be reused, recycled or safely disposed. The same is true for organizations across many other industries too.

Research estimates the increase in this practice will continue to grow substantially over the course of the next several years, and businesses will need to adopt sustainability plans to help keep the environment safe.

Some towns and cities are even issuing fines to citizens not practicing recycling of their garbage to help cut down on landfills. Also, forward thinking entrepreneurs are even coming up with green products to help promote a more environmentally-focused population.

A while back, I reported one idea turned product: a green coffee cup to help cut down on toss away cups that can take up to 50 years to biodegrade in a landfill. Now, one inventor is touting a package of tissues will no longer make users feel guilty about waste.

The product, created by a Connecticut mom, is a tissue tube that is not only eco-friendly, but convenient to --  key factors to any successful product on the market today.

I had a chance recently to ask the inventor, Amy Davis, about the product line, the importance green solutions play in today’s world, and why convenience is key.

The product, Kiss-U Tissue Tube, is made from recycled cardboard and is refillable and recyclable.  According to Davis, the refillable aspect of the product is most appealing because it means users don’t have to purchase and replace the actual tubes, which also fit perfectly into cup holders in cars, strollers and shopping carts. This means no more floating, smashed, soggy boxes of tissues trampled by pets and kids that is impossible to find in the moment it’s needed.

Davis also noted the product stands out from the competition because paper products require a lot of natural resources to produce. By partnering with paper mills dedicated to sustainability and green procedures, Kiss-U is able to offer recyclable, green products.Of special note, according to Davis, the tissue factory they use is also a small company that “prides itself with not using chlorine in their processes and always striving for the most efficient and environmentally sound practices.”

Since introducing the product, the company has already received great response – even with little marketing. Major stores like Walgreens had placed a test of the product on their shelves which sold out within a week’s time.

Aside from offering an eco-friendly product, Davis is also aware of the importance listening to customer needs and requests plays in developing future updates to the product.

While most customers have raved about the refillable aspect, there have been requests for softer tissues. According to Davis, this update is in the works, so long as an option that is leaves less of a footprint than the current tissues used become available. Also, two new offerings for this fall: a "Kiss-u Mini" measuring 6.25 inches tall for those who have shallow cup holders and Kiss-u Wet Wipes, made from naturally derived ingredients and food-grade preservatives, will fit into the "Mini" tubes with a replaceable top.

This type of innovation and answering to the customers need is what is keeping this very small business alive and thriving. Even though it is a small company, Davis notes, it has its benefits.

“I run a small company, and as such, I get to maintain direct control over what I produce and how I produce it.  I am not beholden to stock holders, and while profits matter, they are not the last word for me.  Producing in the US is more expensive than in China. But if I can produce closer to my end-user and still make a profit, that's what I will do.  No big publicly owned company could ever do that,” Davis said.

In related news, President Obama released today, an Executive Order that involves working with the industrial sector to create more efficient manufacturing processes and facilities.

The goal to curb energy use by industries includes, “a national goal of deploying 40 gigawatts (GW) of new, cost-effective industrial CHP in the United States by the end of 2020.”

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