GREEN MARKETING

Also Known As: Environmental Marketing, Ecological Marketing, Eco-Marketing, green sheen.

Green Marketing Definition 

Green marketing refers to the process of selling products and/or services based on their
environmental benefits. Such a product or service may be environmentally friendly in itself or
produced in an environmentally friendly way, such as:

 Being manufactured in a sustainable fashion

 Not containing toxic materials or ozone-depleting substances
 Able to be recycled and/or is produced from recycled materials
 Being made from renewable materials (such as bamboo, etc.)
 Not making use of excessive packaging
 Being designed to be repairable and not "throwaway"

Importance of Green Marketing at Present and Future

Green marketing is the marketing of products which are considered not to be harmful for
environment. In the 21st century the world is facing a severe threat of sustainability due to
economic crisis, energy crisis, environment pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions which
cause global warming. Our resources are limited but human needs are unlimited, so that our
resources must be utilized economically and in an environment friendly way. For the
sustainability of the humankind green marketing practice is needed in the society.
Manufacturing and providing products to the consumers must be of good quality and not
harmful to them in the long run and which will be sustainable developed. Adoption of green
marketing in the society may not be easy in the short run, but in the long run surely it will be
profitable.

A green company claims to act in a way which minimizes damage to the environment.

As global warming continues apace and becomes an increasingly prevalent topic amongst world
governments, many companies are doing their part to become environmentally more
responsible or "green".

Green Product Defined

Before we get started with how to identify a green product, we have to understand what the
definition of a green product is.  The terms “green” or “sustainable” often refer to products,
services or practices that allow for economic development while conserving for future
generations.  We prefer to describe a green product as one that has less of an environmental
impact or is less detrimental to human health than the traditional product equivalent.  While on
the topic of defining a green product, you must realize that almost no product will ever be
100% “green,” since all product development will have some impact on the surrounding
environment.  It all comes down to degrees of impact and as we discussed above, trading off
between impacts.

Green products are…

 Energy efficient, durable and often have low maintenance requirements.

 Free of Ozone depleting chemicals, toxic compounds and don’t produce toxic by-
products.
 Often made of recycled materials or content or from renewable and sustainable
sources.
 Obtained from local manufacturers or resources.
 Biodegradable or easily reused either in part or as a whole.

Green Product Certification

ENERGY STAR: A labeling program for energy efficient homes, building

products, electronics and appliances.  ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy helping protect the
environment through energy efficient products and practices.

Green Seal:  Green Seal Certification ensures that a product meets

rigorous, science-based leadership standards.  It is a lifecycle assessment based labeling
program for building products, green operations and maintenance procedures.  A green seal
can be found on anything from a coffee filter to a hotel.
Examples of Green Marketing

 Grocers that advertise organic produce. The organic food industry has grown in leaps
and bounds as consumers express an increased preference for non genetically modified
foods that are free of pesticides.
 Restaurants that promote "locally sourced" meats, vegetables, fish, wines, etc. Local
sourcing is attractive to consumers as it projects an image of sustainability and
willingness to invest in the community.
 Toyota's marketing of the Prius hybrid. (The Prius outsells all other hybrid vehicles,
mostly because its unique styling reflects the typical owner's passion for sustainability.)

 Volkswagen/Mercedes-Benz' marketing of its vehicles as "clean diesel" "Earth Friendly"

vehicles. As truthinadvertising.org pointed out in its roundup of companies accused of
greenwashing on Earth Day 2016, "there’s nothing clean about diesel engines that spew
pollutants at levels way over the legal limit."
 Making claims that are not as impressive as they look. Some companies try to look
green by making environmentally friendly claims that are essentially meaningless. For
instance, Worldwatch shows an example of a Coopertone sunscreen with a "no CFCs"
label. Being a chlorofluorocarbon-free product sounds great (you can help save the
ozone layer), until you realize that CFC production in the United States has been banned
since 1995.

Green marketing can be a very powerful marketing strategy though when it's done right. See
Three Keys to Successful Green Marketing.