Deep-green products are offered by small suppliers whose corporate identity is built around a commitment to environmental values. Greened-up offerings are lines put out by established industry giants, and are generally improved versions of existing products. Their identity is built around the manufacturer and sold with environmental claims. The greened-up lines are doing very well by having jumped on the environmental bandwagon. The deep-green manufacturers are having a harder time getting their products on the shelves and sold for several reasons.
Retailers charge most suppliers for stocking their goods.
These fees, called slotting allowances, can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars for a single city. Most small suppliers cannot keep up with these numbers. Retailers are cautious because, in a business with a standard two percent profit margin, most deep-green products are risky. While polls show that people are willing to pay more for green products, retailers claim not to be seeing this trend. The problem is how to evaluate claims made by a manufacturer.