Ever wish it were someone else's job to identify the most environmentally preferable, cost-effective solutions for your business? At Natural Source Printing - a company that works closely with its clients to develop customized, environmentally preferable printing strategies - it is. In this SLM interview, Natural Source green consultant Mary Loyer discusses the importance of matching the materials with the message, and gives up the scoop on some emerging green-printing trends (tree-free paper, anyone?).

(To listen to our conversation with Mary, click here.)

While most buyers have the challenge of narrowing down a wide array of materials suppliers, Bill Hetzel, supply chain leader at Tom's, says often he has the opposite challenge of finding at least one or two suppliers that meet Tom's very strict supplier evaluation criteria. Here's how he makes it work. (Purchasing) Read more...

Ralph Bianculli has his work cut out for him as CEO of Paradigm Group, a manufacturer of green products for commercial facilities (think janitorial and breakroom supplies). How can you market your offerings to purchasing professionals when many suppliers won't even carry your products? In this SLM interview, Ralph explains how his manufacturing and distribution company got into the marketing consulting business, and why many supply firms resist stocking greener alternatives.

Audio | Run Time: 30 Min. | Listen now...

Last fall, industrial cleaning equipment manufacturer Tennant Company unveiled the Ech2o, a machine that can scrub floors to a sparkle without using any toxic chemicals. In fact, all it uses is plain old water (really). In this SLM podcast we talk to Tennant CEO Chris Killingstad (pictured) and chief sustainability officer Stan Mierzejewski about the company's green-products push, its long history of environmental responsibility, and its plans for future innovations in the sustainability arena.

Thanks to a particularly eco- conscious consumer base, makers of natural beauty products are feeling major pressure to go green. Weleda, one of the industry's largest manufacturers, is working hard to make "sustainability" fiscally sustainable.

As former director of manufacturing for Nike Considered, the footwear giant's green product design initiative, Phil Berry put Nike suppliers through their paces. In this exclusive interview, Phil discusses the company's challenges and triumphs in managing its environmental impact at factories in Asia and around the world.

Since his "green conversion" in 1994, Ray Anderson has turned into perhaps the leading corporate evangelist for sustainability. Read more...

In 2005, Coral Rose helped Wal-Mart become the world's largest purchaser of organic cotton, effectively changing the face of the apparel industry supply chain. SLM sat down with Coral to discuss how a single line of cotton yogawear helped reshape the organic fiber market, and to find out why Wal-Mart initially resisted adding "buying organic cotton" to its ambitious $500 million environmental initiative.

Audio | Run Time: 30 Min. | Listen now...

Coral Rose, former senior buyer for Wal-Mart (now the worlds largest purchaser of organic cotton), discusses her work on the retail giant's organic cotton environmental sustainability team, as well as past and current projects focusing on sustainable product design and development.

Hear Coral speak live at Sustainable Brands '07!