Today's consumers are more informed and discerning than ever about the products they buy. This is certainly true when it comes to evaluating the environmental impact and sustainable practices of the brands they support. That's why many of the world's most valuable and successful companies are pursuing green marketing initiatives.
Read on to learn the definition of green marketing, see examples of green marketing practices, and explore the potential benefits of environmentally conscious campaigns for your business.
What is green marketing?
Green marketing is the practice of promoting products or services that are environmentally friendly or have a positive impact on the planet. It involves incorporating sustainability principles into various aspects of marketing, such as product design, packaging, messaging, and promotion. Some green marketing strategies include:
- Creating eco-friendly products
- Using eco-friendlyproduct packagingmade from recycled materials
- Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from production processes
- Adopting sustainable business practices
- Marketing efforts communicating a product's environmental benefits
- Investing profits in renewable energy or carbon offset efforts
Green marketing is becoming more popular as more people become concerned with environmental issues. Indeed, in 2020, more thanthree quartersof consumers (77%) cited a brand's sustainability and environmental responsibility as very important or moderately important in their choice of brands.
While green marketing can be more expensive than traditional marketing messages and practices, but it can also be profitable due to increasing demand. For example, products made locally in North America tend to be more expensive than those made overseas using cheap labor, but local sourcing and supply chain means they have a much smaller carbon footprint than goods flown in from overseas. For some consumers and business owners, the environmental benefit outweighs the price difference.
Green marketing and LOHAS consumers
The rise of green marketing stems from a growing market segment of consumers who prefer to purchase green products even though they might be more expensive. These consumers are known as the Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) demographic. According to维基百科:
“[LOHAS] is a demographic defining a particular market segment related to sustainable living, "green" ecological initiatives, and generally composed of a relatively upscale and well-educated population segment.”
LOHAS consumers are active supporters of environmental health, and are the heaviest purchasers of eco-friendly and socially responsible products. They also have the power to influence other consumers.
With about100 millionLOHAS consumers worldwide, this segment suggests a surging market for green marketing campaigns built around eco-friendly practices and products.
Green marketing strategy
Beyond making an environmentally friendly product, business owners can implement other tactics to create abusiness strategythat capitalizes on the benefits of green marketing. The following can all be part of a green marketing strategy:
- Using eco-friendly paper and inks for print marketing materials
- Skipping printed materials altogether in favor of electronic marketing
- Adopting responsible waste disposal practices
- Using eco-friendly or recycled materials for product packaging
- Seekingofficial certificationsfor sustainability and
- Using efficientpacking and shippingmethods
- Using renewable energy and sustainable agriculture practices
- Taking steps to offset carbon emissions via investment
Green companies take a long view of their businesses, prioritizing the well-being of the planet and future generations over short-term profits.
What is greenwashing?
Some brands and marketers have attempted to capitalize on consumer demand for environmental consciousness by taking a green marketing approach to products or services that are not necessarily green or sustainable. This practice is known as "greenwashing."
Some popular examples of greenwashing include:
- Employing unregulated terms like "green" or "natural" to describe products
- Using the color green or environmental symbols like leaves or trees on packaging
- Promoting misleading studies or statistics to support an eco-marketing message
- Portraying cost-cutting measures as motivated by environmental sustainability
Using greenwashing to falsely market your products as environmentally conscious is not only misleading to consumers: it can also be hazardous to a company's health. For example, following its 2015 scandal involving falsified emissions reports for its vehicle, Volkswagen's stock price tumbled more than 50 percent—and took six years to completely recover.
If you plan to build a sustainable brand and practice green marketing in your business, be sure that the claims you're making about your products are clear and factual.