Watch the video “Eco-Me”. Then read their about us below and answer the 5 questions.

HOW IT ALL BEGAN:

Eco Me products were created out of love and concern and the driving passion to remove chemicals from our homes. In 2006, our Founder's sister was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 35. With a feeling of helplessness, she began researching environmental factors as a possible cause. She looked under her sister's sink and saw all of the mainstream cleaners packed with toxic chemicals. She knew there must be a better AND safer way to clean. After countless hours and formula revisions, Eco Me products were born. We have since stayed true to our heritage and continue to focus on family health and the environment. All of our products are made with premium quality, natural based ingredients that provide safe and effecting cleaning for you and your whole family.

DID YOU KNOW?

• The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stated that the air in our homes is 3 to 7 times more chemically polluted than outdoor air, pollution and all!
• The average home contains as much as 25 pounds of toxic cleaning products.
• The Consumer Product Safety Commission stated that of the chemicals commonly found in homes, 150 have been linked to allergies, birth defects, cancer and psychological abnormalities.
• The Breast Cancer Fund, a non-profit organization, wrote that a substantial and growing body of evidence indicates that exposures to certain toxic chemicals and hormone mimicking compounds contribute to the development of breast cancer.

LEARN ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS WE USE

• MADE WITH FOOD-GRADE & PLANT-BASED INGREDIENTS
• FULL INGREDIENT DISCLOSURE
• VEGAN & GLUTEN FREE

WHAT WE DON'T USE:

• NO SULFATES or ETHOXYLATES
• NO SYNTHETIC FRAGRANCES
• BPA-FREE & PHTHALATE-FREE
• NO COLORANTS OR DYES
• NO HARMFUL PRESERVATIVES (Methylisothiazolinone Benzisothiazolinone)

OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• No Animal Testing or bi-products.
• PETA & Leaping Bunny certified.
• Top Ratings: Eco Scale by Greenseal.org
• Top Ratings: EWG.org
• Eco-Me products follow Natural Products Association (NPA) guidelines.

SUSTAINABILITY

As a company and as individuals we strive to reverse the negative balance on our planet. Our ingredients arrive to our manufacturing facilities in drums, these are often re-purposed throughout the community as rain capture and compost containers.

Our plastics are PET#1, the most popular plastic to be purchased from recycling centers for re-purposing into post consumer plastics, fleece clothing and more. Our plastics are BPA-FREE which means no harmful phthalates! Moving towards an even greener future, Eco-Me has started to integrate post consumer PET#1 plastics into our products. You might recognize one on the shelf, they aren't always the whitest brightest plastic, but they are the best for the health of our planet!

Sustainability means more than eco-friendly actions like recycling, composting, energy and water conservation; it also goes deeper into a connection our company has with our community. Eco-Me participates in charitable actions and donations to help sustain important organizations in our community such as the Pasadena Humane Society, the Breast Cancer Fund, Walden House, Best Friends, and many others.

MADE IN THE USA

Since 2006 Eco-Me has been manufacturing natural products at our facility in southern California. We source our ingredients from local suppliers whenever we can and work with ingredients that are food-grade and plant-based.

1. Evaluate Eco-Me’s “about us”. Do you think their products, services, and strategies are consistent with their “why”?
2. Do a PESTEL Analysis for Eco-Me. What are some opportunities and threats facing Eco-Me?
3. What was Eco-Me’s business level strategy before Marcus (Cost leadership, differentiation, focused cost leadership, and focused differentiation)? What was Eco-Me’s business level strategy with Marcus? What do you think their business level strategy should be? Are they in danger of being “stuck in the middle”
4. Describe The value chain process for Eco-Me based on the episode (generally, what is their competitive advantage based on the resource based/VRIO framework). What were their strengths? Weaknesses?
5. What are the 2 most important support functions for Eco-Me? Why? What are the 2 most important primary chain activities? Why?

PESTEL	Factors	Business Impact
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Economic
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Technological
Ecological
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