The Home Depot

Telling the Story of Sustainability at The Home Depot

What We Did

  • Competitive Research
  • Email Marketing
  • Logo Design
  • Messaging
  • Web Design & Development

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.

Ron Jarvis

VP Merchandising/Sustainability at The Home Depot

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.

Website

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.   

Logo Concepts

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.  

Videos

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. 

The Results

  • The Eco Actions program was launched on Earth Day 2021.
  • The Eco Actions monthly e-newsletter launched in December 2021.
  • Opt-in newsletter list grew by 2X in 6 months.
  • The site features over 60 sustainability stories from dozens of suppliers including Scotts Miracle-Gro, Nike Grind, Behr Paint and Procter & Gamble.
  • Eco Actions includes 66 projects with step-by-step instructions.  

Implementation

Once you build a great brand, the day-to-day work begins. It’s time to send that brand out into the world, to interact with the retail world, that is. Implementation is where the creativity and strategy come together to yield brand touch points. Each touch point is a branded connector between your audience and your brand. From shelf to social, the right implementation strategy and creative yield results.


Learn More

Construction

There’s a big difference between brands built well, and those built in a hurry. In this way, brand construction is like the experience of the “Three Little Pigs.” Some methods and materials hold up better than others. Great brands are built with carefully constructed positioning, identity and messaging, with brand standards operating as an owner’s manual.


Learn More