The colour of money

Can it be that we are already seeing a backlash against the "green frenzy"? Growing numbers in the media seem to be upset that (1) all this environmental stuff is going to cost money and (2) business will try to find a way to make money out of it. Look, Rachel Johnson and others, that's what business is there to do. You expect to get paid for sharing your opinions with us, and Tesco, Sainsbury's and the rest expect to get paid for selling stuff to you. In fact, it's the profit motive that will ensure that these and other retailers will get on board and stay on board with the whole environmental programme.

Companies make money by meeting consumer wants and needs. For example, in recent years consumers have declared that they want soft fruits and summer veg all year round. The supermarkets have responded with airborne argosies of green beans and strawberries from all parts of the globe. They washed them, wrapped them and put them into plastic trays because nobody could be arsed with the fiddly side of food preparation, like weighing and washing, any more. All this convenience came at a cost, and not just to the environment: the asparagus you buy in January is not cheap (and in a blind taste test would probably not be identified as asparagus either). But people wanted this stuff and paid up for it.

Now people want something different, something easier on the environment and more comforting to the conscience. The supermarkets are falling over themselves to comply, because they know that if they don't they will lose market share. And lo and behold, they are starting to be criticised for trying to figure out how to do it in a businesslike way -- that is , how to make money from it.

So here's some advice for consumers, and for the opinion leaders who are thinking of leaping off the green bandwagon (well, it's so last year). If you decide that going green is too much trouble and too expensive, you can be sure that it won't take long for businesses to reach the same conclusion.