Lecture 8
Sustainable marketing
Marketing and responsible marketing
- Responsible marketers find what consumers want and respond with marketing
offerings that create value for buyers to capture value in return: philosophy of
customer value and mutual gain
- Not all marketers follow the marketing concept responsibly
- Even ‘well-intended- marketing that meet the needs of some consumers may cause
immediate or future harm to other consumers or the larger society (Kotler, 2011)
Sustainability - comprises three elements that are inter-linked: it “refers to the long-term
maintenance of systems according to environmental, economic, social and governance
considerations” (Crane and Matten, 2010:34)
Sustainable development - development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (WCED 1987:8)
Marketing and Environment
Ecological marketing 1970s
- Drew attention to the impacts of marketing on the natural environment
- Dealt mainly with the depletion of natural resources and the pollution created as a
by-product of production and consumption
Green Marketing 1980s
- In the late 1980s, the term -green marketing’ emerged (Peattie and Peattie 2009)
- ‘Marketing activities which attempt to reduce the negative social and environmental
impacts of existing products and production systems, and which promotes fewer
damaging products and services” (Peattie, 2001, p. 129)
- Green marketing discourse: oriented towards trying to persuade consumers to buy
more products or to dispose of them responsibly (Peattie and Peattie 2009)
- The emphasis was on swapping one product for another, rather than buying less
(Peattie and Peattie 2009)
- Criticised for adopting a narrow perspective (Peattie and Peattie 2009): it is a “micro-
solution” to a “macro problem”
- ‘solution’ offered to the environmental crisis created by the excessive consumption:
more consumption (Peattie and Peattie 2009)
- Green marketing has neglected potentially important issues including:
o Non purchase elements of consumer behaviour eg product use and disposal
o Non-purchase based behaviours as the means for individuals to meet their
needs and achieve satisfaction
o The potential of environmental and social concern to encourage a reduction
in the total level of consumption, rather than simply acting as a source or
differentiation between brands and products. (Peattie & Peattie, 2009:62)
Sustainable marketing
Marketing and responsible marketing
- Responsible marketers find what consumers want and respond with marketing
offerings that create value for buyers to capture value in return: philosophy of
customer value and mutual gain
- Not all marketers follow the marketing concept responsibly
- Even ‘well-intended- marketing that meet the needs of some consumers may cause
immediate or future harm to other consumers or the larger society (Kotler, 2011)
Sustainability - comprises three elements that are inter-linked: it “refers to the long-term
maintenance of systems according to environmental, economic, social and governance
considerations” (Crane and Matten, 2010:34)
Sustainable development - development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (WCED 1987:8)
Marketing and Environment
Ecological marketing 1970s
- Drew attention to the impacts of marketing on the natural environment
- Dealt mainly with the depletion of natural resources and the pollution created as a
by-product of production and consumption
Green Marketing 1980s
- In the late 1980s, the term -green marketing’ emerged (Peattie and Peattie 2009)
- ‘Marketing activities which attempt to reduce the negative social and environmental
impacts of existing products and production systems, and which promotes fewer
damaging products and services” (Peattie, 2001, p. 129)
- Green marketing discourse: oriented towards trying to persuade consumers to buy
more products or to dispose of them responsibly (Peattie and Peattie 2009)
- The emphasis was on swapping one product for another, rather than buying less
(Peattie and Peattie 2009)
- Criticised for adopting a narrow perspective (Peattie and Peattie 2009): it is a “micro-
solution” to a “macro problem”
- ‘solution’ offered to the environmental crisis created by the excessive consumption:
more consumption (Peattie and Peattie 2009)
- Green marketing has neglected potentially important issues including:
o Non purchase elements of consumer behaviour eg product use and disposal
o Non-purchase based behaviours as the means for individuals to meet their
needs and achieve satisfaction
o The potential of environmental and social concern to encourage a reduction
in the total level of consumption, rather than simply acting as a source or
differentiation between brands and products. (Peattie & Peattie, 2009:62)
