A great philosopher named Kermit the Frog once said, “It’s not easy being green.” Despite that, the world seems content to try.

Over the past decade or so, everyone—from individuals to large corporate entities—have been doing their best to “Go Green,” putting the best interests of our environment and natural resources above all else. And why not? We’ve got a nice little planet here! We should take care of it!

The interesting thing about the “Green Movement,” as some call it, is that it’s completely scalable. Anything as simple as carpooling, as complex as redesigning soda bottles caps and everything in between has a positive effect on our planet, our environment and our future. Seeing as how so much can be done in such simple ways, it’s no wonder that the world at large has been quick to adapt to a new green lifestyle.

Retailers are no different. It’s now common place to build a reputation on customer satisfaction by listening to their eco-friendly sentiment and offering packaging made from recycled content, as well as reusable bags. Also, by adopting a green mentality to their stores, retailers can build a reputation for their eco-conscious ways—a nice compliment to a store’s reputation for stellar products and services.

In last week’s post, we discussed the idea of using the right packaging to carry your brand further. In this week’s post, we’re going to take that idea one step further by explaining how to use your retail packaging as a means to building your name as an environmentally conscious brand. Many major retailers are already using their packaging as a means of engaging customers into thinking greener while promoting their brand. By following that lead and taking it further to suit specific customers, retailers stand a good chance of boosting their brand–as well as their bottom line—while doing right by Mother Earth!

Here’s some steps to help get started:

Team Up!
All initiatives work better when the participants are on the same page. That said, the first thing to do is let customers know you’re with them about going green. There are a number of ways to do this, but one of the simplest is printing it on your custom-designed bags and boxes. Printing easy recycling ideas on the bottom of a box or the side of a bag is a great reminder to your customers, but also a way to proudly wave your green flag.

Encourage Creative Recycling
While some retailers encourage customers to bring back their packaging for reuse, there are more creative ways to recycle, some of which could potentially promote a retailer’s brand. For example, there’s a whole sub-culture of artists who work in the medium of recycled plastic and paper retail packaging (no, seriously! Take a look!) Hosting a contest to see who can create something new out of your recycled retail bags and boxes is an original way to encourage customers to go green while potentially spreading your brand. Imagine the attention a retailer could get if a customer made a handbag out of bags that had the store’s logo on it.

Donate to Re-users
While allowing customers to turn in and recycle their old retail bags and boxes can help the environment, a more charitable option exists: Donation. Many local charities, churches and even elementary teachers are willing to accepted recycled bags and boxes to use to their ends. For instance, many churches regularly host flea markets and bazaars, most of which use donated retail packaging for their goods. If your donated packaging already has your logo on it, that opens your branding efforts to a whole new demographic.

These are just some ideas to further your brand while pursuing a more eco-friendly agenda. As always, the secret to successful branding is creativity and flexibility. Fortunately, those traits can be used to help the planet at the same time.

What about you? What other ways do you stay “green” with your retail packaging?