Slides from Steve Ashkin, President, The Ashkin Group, presented at the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council's 2018 Summit in Minneapolis, MN.

1. Helping Distributors Transform the Sustainability of their Catalogs and their Businesses
Helping Distributors Transform
the Sustainability of their
Catalogs and their Businesses
Presented by
Stephen Ashkin
Father of Green Cleaning
1

2. Helping Distributors Transform the Sustainability of their Catalogs and their Businesses
How The Marketplace Works
Manufacturers Distributors Purchasers
Catalysts
• Regulators/Regulations
• Activists/Advocates
• Labor Unions
• Standard Setters & Certifiers
• Trade Associations
• Conference Organizers
• Media

3. Helping Distributors Transform the Sustainability of their Catalogs and their Businesses
Aggregate & Deliver Products Sell/Promote New Products Train Product Users
The Role of Distributors

4. Helping Distributors Transform the Sustainability of their Catalogs and their BusinessesHelping Distributors Transform the Sustainability of their Catalogs and their Businesses
Between 1990 and 2014, emissions from these trucks grew 80%, the
fastest growth for any major category of GHG sources.
Distributors Environmental Impacts
12%
9%
31%
27%
21%
.
Commercial & Residential Agriculture
Electricity Transportation
Industry

5. Helping Distributors Transform the Sustainability of their Catalogs and their Businesses
Helping Distributors Transform
the Sustainability of their
Catalogs and their Businesses
Green Cleaning has Passed the
Tipping Point
5

6. Helping Distributors Transform the Sustainability of their Catalogs and their Businesses
What the Cleaning Industry Has Accomplished
6
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
Chemicals Paper Equipment Supplies Total

7. Helping Distributors Transform the Sustainability of their Catalogs and their BusinessesHelping Distributors Transform the Sustainability of their Catalogs and their Businesses
How We Did
• Became experts on distribution
• Developed and adopted standards and rating systems
(we made it easy to buy green with confidence)
• Created the language
• Used LEED-EB as the roadmap
• Generated awareness and dominated the airways
• Built alliances
• Made Green Cleaning profitable
7

8. Helping Distributors Transform the Sustainability of their Catalogs and their Businesses
How to Help Distributors Transform
the Sustainability of their Catalogs
and their Businesses
Workshop:
What you can do
8

9. Helping Distributors Transform the Sustainability of their Catalogs and their BusinessesHelping Distributors Transform the Sustainability of their Catalogs and their Businesses
What Purchasers Can Do
• Make your RFPs reflect what is important
• Specify green products
• Standardize language
• Use 3rd party standards and certifiers
• Specify other issues that are important
• Buy green products from green companies
• Training
• Other social issues
• Encourage innovation
• Promote success
9

10. Helping Distributors Transform the Sustainability of their Catalogs and their BusinessesHelping Distributors Transform the Sustainability of their Catalogs and their Businesses
How to Transform Distributors
• Develop a distributor profile
• National, regional, local
• What do they sell
• Identify the decision-makers
• Prioritize
• Identify who influences them
• Identify media outlets
• Identify conference opportunities
• Identify allies
• Hangout with them

11. Helping Distributors Transform the Sustainability of their Catalogs and their BusinessesHelping Distributors Transform the Sustainability of their Catalogs and their Businesses
Help Them Become Greener (and Save Money)
• Identify the environmental hot spots
• Green product sales
• Energy
• Fuel
• Waste
• Water
• Human resources
• Help them reduce their impacts
• Help them save money
• Help them report
11
Education (distributors need help):
• Low to No Cost Energy Improvements
• Energy Technical Ask an Expert
• Guerilla Marketing
• Winterizing your Fleet and Facility
• Intro to SmartWay and Optimizing
Transportation Management
• Alternative Fuel Vehicles and Rebates
• Modifying Driver Behavior
• Waste Management Made Easy

12. Helping Distributors Transform the Sustainability of their Catalogs and their BusinessesHelping Distributors Transform the Sustainability of their Catalogs and their Businesses12
Unit of Measure
Previous
complete year
Year prior
% Difference
Improvement
Goals
Year Year
Commitment to
Selling Green Products
% of total sales $
Training of Cleaning
Personnel
FTEs trained / sales $
Energy ENERGY STAR Score
Water gallon / occupant
Waste (total waste,
recycling & pallets)
lbs / sales $
Recycling (excluding
Pallets)
% diversion from
landfill
Pallets
% diversion from
landfill
Fuel miles / gallon
List green building, transportation,
sustainability, CSR or other certifications.
Green Products Sustainable Companies

14. DISTRIBUTOR RECOGNITION
TIERS:
 Green 10 – 24% of products sold are green
 Silver 25 – 49%
 Gold 50 – 74%
 Platinum >75%
Launching July 2018

15. DOUG GATLIN | CEO
dgatlin@greenseal.org
greenseal.org
m: 202 420 0251

16. Helping Distributors Transform the Sustainability of their Catalogs and their BusinessesHelping Distributors Transform the Sustainability of their Catalogs and their Businesses
Please Sign Our Statement of Support
16

17. Helping Distributors Transform the Sustainability of their Catalogs and their Businesses
Helping Distributors Transform
the Sustainability of their
Catalogs and their Businesses
Presented by
Stephen Ashkin
The Ashkin Group, LLC
Steve@AshkinGroup.com
812-360-1919
17