Jarlsberg goes "green"

[gordonzola]

I get a fair amount of cheese advertising sent my way. I can't complain and I don't usually mock. But sometimes mocking is just what is deserved.

This ad (I cut off the contact info) came to my attention. "Jarlsberg Goes Green"? What could this mean? No more potassium sorbate in the rind?* A committment to buying milk from small farms? Instituting herd limits and requiring grazing? Insisting on wind power and methane digesters on the farms they buy from?** No, I thought, probably some pseudo-green thing like buying carbon offsets to mitigate shipping cheese all over the world.

In fact, it's not even that. No, Jarlsberg is offering consumers an 80% post-consumer waste bag with proof of purchase.



Wow. How can the other corporations let them get away with this? Truly every day is earth day when you eat Jarlsberg cheese. Earth-rapers fear the wrath of the mighty, mighty cheese company giving out mostly-recycled shopping bags with cute pictures of cows!



* Ha. while looking into this ad I found that they finally did do this in June. Now, that would have been a useful, reality-based trade advertisement.
**I have no reason to believe that Jarlsberg is any worse than other large dairy cooperatives. Being in Norway, whaling issues aside, they probably have tougher environmental laws than in the U.S. But c'mon. Plus their website is written in corporate-speak indecipherable to anyone looking for real information. ETA: much Jarlsberg is now made in the USA so this footnote is now less meaningful. Thanks Steve!

Comments

[loolica.livejournal.com]

Well, it does say "green". The quotation marks are just more sarcastic that you had assumed, perhaps.

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

Yeah, one could interpret those quotation marks as the subtle sabotage of a graphic designer or junior ad exec appalled at what he/she had to do to make a living.

[loolica.livejournal.com]

Hey, I resemble that remark!

[nunofthat.livejournal.com]

Fuck Earth Day, man. It's not every day we're offered a Free Cow Bag!

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

That'll show the bastards!

[villagecharm.livejournal.com]

At this point, "green" has become such an all-purpose consumer category that I'm almost more suspicious of companies that advertise it than I am of companies that don't. I mean:

http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=9002633&contentId=2000570

[masscooper.livejournal.com]

Aw, BP's not so bad. I mean, sure, they wanted to dump industrial waste in Lake Michigan, but Indiana's governor totally said it was okay! And you know if Indiana approves it, it's gotta be "green"!

Jarlsberg

[(Anonymous)]

FYI- half is made in the USA- http://www.jarlsberg.com/page?id=212

steve @larry's in milwaukee

Re: Jarlsberg

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

I had no idea. Did you know that before looking at the website today?

Re: Jarlsberg

[(Anonymous)]

actually found that out early this year- kind of like Boursin being made in WI for 10 years now....

[substitute.livejournal.com]

"Honey, I think the Jarlsberg went green. Should I throw it out?"

"Yeah, it's just post-consumer waste now."

Green is starting to offend me!

[sheanadavis.livejournal.com]

Greenwashing at it's finest!

Re: Green is starting to offend me!

[lizsybarite.livejournal.com]

Beat me to it. I see so much greenwashing at my job, which is to be expected, but... greenwashing cheese? That hurts!

Re: Green is starting to offend me!

[sheanadavis.livejournal.com]

My company received the "Green Award" last year in Sonoma Valley.
Now what does this mean?
I have been looking for a new word/term/etc...for the green, as I do not want to be in line with large companies who are greenwashing, while I am composting.
???

Re: Green is starting to offend me!

[lizsybarite.livejournal.com]

It's my clients that tend to want to wave the green flag more than they are always qualified to do; it's my job to talk sense into them. One of them manufactures an energy-saving product, but their manufacturing methods are nothing to brag about. Eyeroll.

Did your company explain how they won the award, and why?

Re: Green is starting to offend me!

[sheanadavis.livejournal.com]

The award was by the City of Sonoma and The Chamber of Commerce.
Each company was reviewed.
For my company, as a chef, caterer, I use local foods, quite a bit of organic, compost, bio-degradable goods or prefer real glass, soy based ink print, working on limiting print, eco friendly cleaning supplies, replace all bulbs, lower water flow, heat to use water heaters, car-pool....
I still am suspicious as large companies get the same award?
I think this whole process needs a review....what to do I do not know, accept continu to do the right thing, run my company and combine economics with sustainability and hope the two work well in the end.....

[kest]

So let me get this straight. I download a form. I print it out on my computer (1 piece paper plus electricity). I mail it in (gas for mail truck). They put reusable bag in a box (one box/mailer) and mail it to me (gas for mail truck). So I can add it to my stash of shopping bags I already have. Hm. No, I think I'll pass thanks.