What We Did
  • Competitive Research
  • Brand Identity
  • Key Messaging
  • Web Design & Development
  • Email Marketing
  • Videography
The Home Depot

Telling the Story of Sustainability

As far back as 2012, Porchlight has been partnering with The Home Depot to share stories of sustainability at the world’s biggest home improvement retailer. That year, we worked with The Home Depot to develop their first ever sustainability report. In the decade that followed that first report, Porchlight has produced subsequent publications (the most recent is featured at the bottom of this page) in addition to developing logo designs, designing and building two websites, writing and directing multiple videos, producing numerous articles and – most recently – developing an approach to engage consumers in the company’s sustainability strategy.

The Home Depot’s Eco Options program was started in 2007 to recognize the best products through stringent criteria in key product categories, such as energy efficiency, water conservation and sustainable forestry. In 2020, Porchlight worked with The Home Depot to rebrand the program as Eco Actions. Our goal was to build a more inclusive and consumer-friendly program. While the Eco Options program continues to provide strict product credentialing, Eco Actions is designed to inspire consumers to live more sustainably at home.

Over the years, we’ve completed two logo enhancements for The Home Depot’s sustainability platform. On the left below is the original logo for Eco Options. The new Eco Options logo, shown in the center, was designed by Porchlight at the behest of The Home Depot, who sought a mark more in line with their corporate identity. The Eco Actions logo, shown on the right, demonstrates the strategic renaming of the program to be more inclusive.

What I admire about the Porchlight team is the degree of ownership they attach to each project. They take it personal, and they have tremendous pride in the final results.

Ron Jarvis

VP Merchandising/Sustainability

The Home Depot

 

Consumers who shop at The Home Depot, and who care about the planet need a resource for understanding product choices. We believe that The Home Depot is and should be that resource. No one else is as influential or central to the movement. That’s why we worked closely with The Home Depot’s Chief Sustainability Officer to revamp and rename the program and to rebuild the website as an interactive hub for products and projects.  

Eco Actions tells the stories behind product design and manufacturing, such as the evolution of low- and no-VOC paints. It celebrates new product innovations such as the new generation of battery-powered lawn tools that help reduce carbon emissions. And Eco Actions helps consumers engage in their own Eco Actions by providing step-by-step instructions for projects such as organic gardening and composting.

Our team worked closely with The Home Depot to ensure that the site met their ESG needs as well as the user experience needs of the sustainability community. Our team created UX maps, site maps, and designs and developed the site. We worked directly with dozens of Home Depot suppliers, conducting interviews to develop engaging content told in a modular, consumer-friendly manner. Our team currently oversees SEO, SEM and the monthly newsletter for Eco Actions.   

Our first engagement with the Eco Options logo was back in 2019. The Home Depot sought to update the original logo, with its house and tree, to better match their corporate identity. We explored numerous directions, orienting towards a softer, more human aesthetic. We incorporated more obvious “green” imagery and colors and looked at some new illustrations that would be unique to The Home Depot. The final logo utilized light gray and green colors to complement the standard Home Depot orange. We paired both the leaf and ECO text in green to anchor the logo and emphasize the program’s focus.  

 

 

One of the most compelling ways to tell the story of sustainability is through video. Porchlight has worked with The Home Depot to develop videos helping to explain the concept of circularity, and how it plays out at the retailer in their Return Logistics Centers. These facilities are complex and fascinating and offer a behind-the-scenes look at how The Home Depot is using its scale and investing in systems to reduce waste. 

 

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Projects with step-by-step instructions.
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Stories from suppliers including Scotts Miracle-Gro, Nike Grind, Behr Paint and Procter & Gamble.