Many people are striving to become more eco-friendly, to limit the impact that their day-to-day lives have on the environment. This often extends into the business realm, with companies seeking to find more sustainable ways to carry out their operations.
A company that can say that taking an environmentally friendly approach will make a good impression on customers and improve their brand image. This is especially true for a company that has customer segments that are highly concerned about the environment.
As we’ll see, sustainability takes an even broader approach to the future than environmental impact alone. In this article, we’ll discuss how companies can approach marketing with sustainability as a goal along with some of the reasons they may want to.
Understanding Sustainability in Marketing
Sustainability isn’t just about the environment. A sustainable approach to marketing treats the long-term health of society as a whole as a primary goal over the short-term health of the company. It encompasses areas of environmental impact, but also of social and economic impacts as well. This often includes the following considerations when making marketing decisions:
- Environmental Responsibility: The use of marketing materials and resources that produce less environmentally harmful waste and reducing the carbon footprint of the products and services being marketed.
- Social Equity: Examining how marketing practices impact not only consumers, but communities, employees, and any other stakeholders and ensuring that they’re fair and beneficial to all involved.
- Consumer Needs and Ethics: Focusing on genuine consumer needs and interests, promoting products and services honestly, and avoiding manipulative or exploitative marketing tactics.
- Transparency and Education: Being transparent with consumers about sustainability efforts of products and services and educating them about the benefits of those choices from an environmental and societal standpoint.
The Benefits of Eco-Friendly Marketing Practices
Taking an eco-friendly and sustainable approach to marketing brings several benefits beyond just feeling good about yourself. These benefits come in a few broad categories:
Environmental Benefits
- Reduction in Resource Use: An eco-friendly marketing approach uses fewer non-renewable resources and minimizes waste and pollution.
- Conservation of Ecosystems: An approach that is less harmful to the environment has less of a negative impact on ecosystems.
- Climate Change Mitigation: Implementing sustainable practices can lead to reduced greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to the fight against climate change.
Economic Benefits
- Cost Savings: A happy side effect of reducing waste and lowering energy costs is that it can significantly reduce operating costs over time.
- Increased Competitive Advantage: Adopting a socially and environmentally friendly approach differentiates a company and can increase market share.
Social Benefits
- Enhanced Brand Image and Reputation: Consumers are increasingly looking for brands that value sustainability. Doing so can increase brand loyalty and consumer trust.
- Employee Morale and Attraction: By the same token, it’s also often easier for eco-minded companies to attract and retain like-minded employees.
Regulatory and Legal Compliance
- Reduced Regulatory Risks: Businesses that don’t make eco-friendliness a goal may be caught off guard by new regulations, while those that do are already compliant.
- Eligibility for Incentives: Some governments and organizations offer incentives for businesses that adopt sustainable practices, such as tax breaks, grants, or subsidies.
Positive Impact on Society
- Leading Social Change: Companies that practice eco-friendly marketing can become an example for others and a catalyst for change.
- Educating Consumers: A big part of sustainable marketing is educating customers on why choices are made. This can help them to make better choices as well.
Strategies to Promote Eco-Friendly Practices in Marketing
Now let’s switch away from the abstract and talk about concrete ways that a company can take a sustainable approach to marketing.
Across the Entire Business
Sustainable marketing will require a shift towards sustainability across the entire company, starting with product design:
Product Redesign for Sustainability
Consumers aren’t going to be impressed with a sustainable approach to marketing if the product is doing harm to the environment. This type of insincere approach doesn’t work. So the first step to sustainable marketing is rethinking product design to minimize environmental impact. This means using eco-friendly materials and processes and examining the product’s environmental footprint throughout its lifecycle.
Sustainable Sourcing
The products your company makes aren’t the only areas of the business that need to adopt a preference for eco-friendly materials. By using renewable, recyclable, and ethically produced inputs throughout all business operations, you can better embody the principles that your marketing team will be extolling. This is best achieved by building relationships with suppliers who also share a commitment to sustainability.
Eco-Friendly Production Processes
The production process of your products is also a large area for improvement towards a more environmentally friendly design. By switching to energy-efficient machinery, you can greatly reduce the carbon footprint of your operations. Also, take a good look at the impact of your waste and take steps to reduce it.
Approach to Marketing
With the business aligned with the goal of sustainability, we’re now ready to talk about what the marketing team can do to make the switch:
Digital Marketing and Advertising
Traditional print advertising is one of the most wasteful ways to advertise. By switching to a primarily digital approach, you’ll be reducing significant amounts of paper waste. In addition to digital advertising, use your online platforms and social media channels to engage with environmentally conscious customers who share your business’s goals and values.
Transparency and Certification
Some companies may adopt a posture of eco-friendliness to cash in on consumer sentiment. This isn’t the same as truly sustainable operations though. To show your customers that you are serious in your efforts, always be transparent and honest about the efforts you’re making and their progress. When possible, obtain certifications from recognized environmental organizations that can lend credibility to your claims.
Engaging and Educating Consumers
A part of sustainable marketing is marketing sustainability. That is to say that your company should be helping consumers understand the environmental impact of their choices and encouraging them to make better ones. This not only helps improve environmental conditions but further highlights your company’s commitment to the cause.
Developing a Sustainability-Focused Brand Image
A big part of a brand’s marketing effort is establishing a brand identity. If you want to establish yourself as a brand that takes sustainability seriously, you need to consistently communicate that commitment to consumers. Find a way to incorporate your environmental responsibility in all your marketing materials, forming a connection between environmental stewardship and your brand.
