In The New York Times Magazine: Preserve

Revalued:
A maker of recycled-plastic products bets that eco-chic will outlast the downturn.

This week in Consumed, a look at Preserve, and selling an ethical-consumption story in a time of penny-pinching:

Organic-food sales are suffering. Some people are flat-out bragging about shunning cool design. And both Target and Whole Foods, which happen to be Preserve’s biggest retail distributors, are struggling. So what does this new environment mean for a brand like Preserve? Its products aren’t terribly expensive — $2 for a toothbrush, $6 for a set of tumblers, $10 for a cutting board. But shoppers who value frugal over eco can clearly find cheaper alternatives….

CEO Eric Hudson and firms like his are hoping shoppers will ask themselves, “How can I feel really good about the 5 things I’m going to buy in the store today versus the 25 that I used to buy seven months ago?”…

Read the column in the March 8, 2009, issue of The New York Times Magazine, or here.

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