GREEN MARKETING: SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT, CHALLENGES AND
OPPORTUNITIES
AUTHOR
ANIRBAN SARKAR
Assistant Professor, Department Of Commerce &
Management,
West Bengal State University, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
PUBLISHED IN : International Journal Of Marketing, Financial Services & Management Research
Vol.1 Issue 9, September 2012, ISSN 2277 3622
PRESENTED BY: NADEEM SHOWKAT
(14MMB015)
MANZOOR SHAIR (14MMB013)
INTRODUCTION
According to the American Marketing Association, green marketing is the
marketing of products that are presumed to be environmentally safe.
Green marketing incorporates a broad range of activities, including product
modification, changes to the production process, packaging changes, &
modifying advertising.
Elkington (1994: 93) defines green consumer as one who avoids products
that are likely to endanger the health of the consumer or others; cause
significant damage to the environment during manufacture, use or disposal;
consume a disproportionate amount of energy; cause unnecessary waste;
use materials derived from threatened species or environments; involve
unnecessary use of, or cruelty to animals; adversely affect other countries.
OBJECTIVE AND
METHODOLOGY
One of the biggest problems with the green marketing area is that
there has been little attempt to academically examine environmental
or green marketing.
The present study is exploratory in nature to provide a clear guidance
for empirical research. It is also descriptive where the focus is on fact
finding investigation with adequate interpretation.
For this purpose secondary data were collected. The secondary data
were collected through newspapers, magazines, books, journals,
conference proceedings, Government reports and websites.
THE GREEN CONSUMER
The green consumers are the driving forces behind the green
marketing process. It is they who drive consumer demand, which in
turn encourages improvements in the environmental performance of
many products and companies.
Many organizations have found that two out of every three consumer
is green in developed country but country like Bangladesh and its
organization has found that one out of every six consumer is green,
but their environmental commitments vary because of their different
standards, expectation from producers, demand and buying power.
Some generalizations about the green consumer can be made on the
basis of the research done so far. The green consumer:
Is inconsistent
Is confused
Is generally a woman
Is adults who are likely to be more concerned about the
environment
Is sophisticated in wants and needs
GREEN PRODUCT
Green product stresses the straight and tangible benefits provided by greener design,
such as energy efficiency or recycled content.
Reducing the environmental impact of a product improves the product's overall
performance and quality in ways that are important, not just the most dedicated and
loyal green consumer, but to all consumers.
For example, CNG (Converted Natural Gas) use in the vehicles, super concentrated
laundry detergents not only save energy and packaging, they save end space, money
and effort.
Organically grown food not only better preserves soil and reduces the amount of toxins
in the water supply; they have superior taste and health benefits compared to their
counterparts.
IMPORTANCE OF GREEN
MARKETING
Green marketing offers business bottom line incentives and top line
growth possibilities.
While modification of business or production processes may involve startup costs, it will save money in the long term. For example the cost of
installing solar energy is an investment in future energy cost savings.
Companies that develop new and improved products and services with
environmental impacts in mind give themselves access to new markets,
substantially increase profits and enjoy competitive advantages over
those marketing non environmentally responsible alternatives.
CHALLENGES IN GREEN
MARKETING
NEED FOR STANDARDIZATION
NEW CONCEPT
PATIENCE AND PERSISTENCE
AVOIDING GREEN MYOPIA
GOLDEN RULES OF GREEN
MARKETING
KNOW
YOU'RE CUSTOMER
EDUCATING
BEING
YOUR CUSTOMERS
GENUINE & TRANSPARENT
REASSURE
THE BUYER
CONSIDER
YOUR PRICING
SOME PROBLEMS WITH GOING
Although
a large number of firms are using green marketing, there
GREEN
number of potential problems which need to be addressed.
are a
One of the main problem is that firms using green marketing must ensure
that their activities are not misleading to the consumers or the industry, and do
not breach any of the regulations or laws dealing with environmental marketing.
Green marketing claims of a firm must:
Clearly
state environmental benefits;
Explain
environmental characteristics;
Explain
how benefits are achieved;
Ensure
comparative differences are justified;
Ensure
negative factors are taken into consideration; and
Only
use meaningful terms and pictures.
CONCLUSION
Green
product development is more than just creating
products that are environmentally friendly, it is about
systemic change in society that includes consumers,
producers and the general commercial structure within
which they negotiate.
By
widening & deepening the meaning of green,
relevant actors will have an economic incentive to
pursue green product development.
REFERENCES
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Brahma, M. & Dande, R. (2008), The Economic Times, Mumbai.
Donaldson, R. H. (2005), Green brands, NZ Marketing Magazine, 24(8), 1417.
J.A Ottman,. et al, "Avoiding Green Marketing Myopia", Environment, Vol-48, June-2006
Karna, J., Hansen, E. & Juslin, H. (2003). Social Responsibility in Environmental Marketing
Planning.
Kilbourne, W.E. (1998). Green Marketing: A Theoretical Perspective. Journal of Marketing
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