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The bold look of Kohler's double-speak
Now here's a double-speak that made me do a double-take: Apparently, depending on which magazine you're reading, Kohler plumbing fixture ads have very different messages. A recent EcoGeek post points out that their National Geographic ads tout water efficiency, while their Wired ads feature a nine-headed water-hog shower. The bold look of hyprocricy.
Ah, the tug. Most companies didn't start out offering 100% sustainable products so in the road to change, they still profit greatly from other product lines that are less sustainable but still meet market demand.
Until residential and commercial buyers change their product preferences (hogs over functional elegance), companies will continue to profit from wasteful, unsustainable products. Kohler is actually a leader in water conservation.
The issue you raise is also endemic in publicly traded companies who often make ridiculous business decisions to meet awkward, uninformed and arcane expectations for return. This is why Patagonia remained privately held.
