‘We can’t just consume our way to a more sustainable world.’
Climate change awareness has increased in recent times. This consciousness has led to changing the ways consumers notice the product they are buying and its impact on the environment. Like the rule of business goes, demand follows supply. Businesses are now more insightful of their ways of production, ethics, and impact of their product on nature. This has led to the popularisation of the concept of “Green Marketing.”
Companies do green marketing by promoting the environmental benefits of the product or service. Green marketing not only promotes environmentally friendly products but also promotes the whole process from manufacturing till it reaches its consumer, which includes process, packaging, and distribution. Examples include a paper or metal straw in place of a plastic one, paper packaging on online delivery, use of green energy during production, or sourcing raw materials locally to avoid the use of fossil fuels. It is slow, but it is seeping into this corporate sector by promoting the products and services that are supposed to be environmentally safe and promoting its core values.
Green marketing has evolved as one of the important factors in today’s market, and it may provide various competitive advantages. Many companies have now started marketing themselves as green organizations keeping consumers’ preferences in mind and, of course, due to certain government rules and regulations. As Green Marketing is different from traditional marketing, marketers need to research the needs and preferences to persuade consumers to buy green products.
A clever marketer is not the one who only convinces the consumer on anything, but he also convinces his consumer to market his product. So, green marketing must be done in such a manner that the consumer promotes the environmental benefits of the product himself. This is possible since people want to be seen as an aware and conscious person who cares about the environment. A fantastic medium would be promoting the product or service through influencers.
Green Marketing should not be seen as one concept of marketing, but it must be seen with a much wider vigor as it not only has an environmental vision, it has a social dimension as well. As the Global warming threat is looming at large, it is high time, and it is extremely important where green marketing needs to be taken into consideration in terms of norms rather than a choice or just a fad.
Sustainable production leads to zero waste. While the concept is desirable, it also has some downsides. Industries can continuously try to reduce waste and increase renewable products’ production, but pure sustainability is unattainable. Going green will greatly impact nature, but for the corporates and industries, it will create havoc and add up extra expenses that can be difficult to absorb. It can be costlier for the industries and corporations to go green initially, which will ultimately push up the prices of products and increase consumers’ burden.
Sometimes going green can be easier and the most worthwhile business pursuit. Concern towards social responsibility can be beneficial to the corporate as consumers believe and search for more sustainable products. However, it must also be balanced with economic growth and accessibility for all.
