The Rise of Green Marketing

Saving the planet

Human activities have caused irreparable damage to the earth and we ourselves have witnessed some repercussions in the form of pollution, deforestation, or smog. However, there has been a positive side to this destructiveness too, people are shifting towards environmentally safer options when buying and selling products and services. This has enhanced the credibility of businesses, allowing them to target environmentally conscious consumers and penetrate into new markets while also segregating themselves from their competitors.

The Benefits

Ecological awareness has encouraged companies to introduce products that are sustainable. This will also unburden nature from the hazardous impact of waste materials. In a highly competitive environment, green marketing helps you to gain customer trust and loyalty. Not just this, such practices reduce the exploitation of natural resources and result in lesser carbon emission. Companies innovate in order to attract their customers and strive to make recyclable products. This allows them to achieve growth in the long term and ultimately generates more revenue.

Strategies for Green Marketing

Now let’s see what strategies businesses can use in order to save the planet and win the hearts of their customers.

1. Focus on Sustainable Design: All the stages involved in the product making should be seen from an environmental perspective. It’s not just superficially about the recycling symbol on your product. Control the amount of waste that is produced and pay attention to the material sources, product packaging and the way it is delivered. For example, plastic shopping bags and bottles are very harmful since they contain toxic pollutants and their decomposition takes many years. So, it’s not the best option for packing your products.

2. Green Pricing: When products are designed in a sustainable way or with the view that it is safe for the environment, the cost is usually high and so are the prices for products. As long as it’s environmentally friendly and delivers high value, customers are willing to pay a little extra too. However, companies have to make sure that their product is worth the price their customers pay and quality is also up to mark. Otherwise, they might lose some of their loyal customers.

3. Being Responsible: Sticking to the "Go Green" strategy means that you must be concerned about your actions and processes and how much they contribute to environmental pollution. Through a positive change, show your target audience and customers that your priority is to protect the earth from further damage. Social and environmental responsibility is thus vital.

4. Sustainable Product Packaging: While designing the green packaging of your product, the materials that you use really matters. For example, cloth bags are a good alternative for carrying bulky groceries or paper bags for light weight products (these are even recyclable). Cardboard packaging instead of plastic is a smarter option as consumers have become more conscious of the detrimental effects of plastic which has littered the earth and has been found in billion tons since the mid 1900's.

Green marketing seems a pragmatic initiative which will be lucrative for the marketers. It will benefit the present and future generations, our surrounding and all the living organisms on the whole.