Definition:

What is green marketing? Green marketing reIers to the process oI selling products and/or
services based on their environmental beneIits. Such a product or service may be
environmentally Iriendly in itselI or produced and/or packaged in an environmentally Iriendly
way.
The obvious assumption oI green marketing is that potential consumers will view a product or
service's "greenness" as a beneIit and base their buying decision accordingly. The not-so-obvious
assumption oI green marketing is that consumers will be willing to pay more Ior green products
than they would Ior a less-green comparable alternative product - an assumption that, in my
opinion, has not been proven conclusively.
While green marketing is growing greatly as increasing numbers oI consumers are willing to
back their environmental consciousnesses with their dollars, it can be dangerous. The public
tends to be skeptical oI green claims to begin with and companies can seriously damage their
brands and their sales iI a green claim is discovered to be Ialse or contradicted by a company's
other products or practices. Presenting a product or service as green when it's not is called
greenwashing.
Green marketing can be a very powerIul marketing strategy though when it's done right. See
Three Keys to SuccessIul Green Marketing.
Also Known As: Environmental Marketing, Ecological Marketing, Eco-Marketing.


Keys to Successful Green Marketing
Green Marketing Can Win More Customers If You Do
It Right
y Susan Ward, About.com Guide
See More About:
O green marketing
O green business
O business and environment
O sustainable development
O marketing strategies
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O Small usiness Ideas
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O Marketing Strategies
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Show potential customers that you Iollow green business practices and you could reap more
green on your bottom line. Green marketing isn't just a catchphrase; it's a marketing strategy that
can help you get more customers and make more money. ut only iI you do it right.
For green marketing to be eIIective, you have to do three things; be genuine, educate your
customers, and give them the opportunity to participate.
1) Being genuine means that
a) that you are actually doing what you claim to be doing in your green marketing campaign and
b) that the rest oI your business policies are consistent with whatever you are doing that's
environmentally Iriendly. oth these conditions have to be met Ior your business to establish the
kind oI environmental credentials that will allow a green marketing campaign to succeed.
2) Educating your customers isn't just a matter oI letting people know you're doing whatever
you're doing to protect the environment, but also a matter oI letting them know why it matters.
Otherwise, Ior a signiIicant portion oI your target market, it's a case oI "So what?" and your
green marketing campaign goes nowhere.
) Giving your customers an opportunity to participate means personalizing the beneIits oI
your environmentally Iriendly actions, normally through letting the customer take part in positive
environmental action.
et's put the three essential elements oI a successIul green marketing campaign together by
looking at an example.
Suppose that you have decided that your business will no longer use plastic bags to wrap
customer purchases. You know that the traditional plastic bag takes about one thousand years to
decompose (cbc.ca) and want to do your part to stop the proliIeration oI plastic bags in landIills.
You Ieel that this is the kind oI environmental action that will be popular with potential
customers and a good opportunity to do some green marketing.
To be genuine, you have to ensure that none oI your business practices contradict your decision
not to use plastic bags. What iI customers who happen to walk behind your store see an
overIlowing trash bin Iilled with paper, cardboard and plastic bottles? Obviously, he or she will
decide that you don't care as much about recycling as you say you do in your green marketing.
Not using plastic bags appears to be environmental no-brainer, but you will still need to educate
your target market. Did you know that a single use plastic bag takes about one thousand years to
decompose? I didn`t until I researched this article and probably a Iair number oI otherwise
environmentally conscious people don't either. This one little Iactoid about plastic bags could be
used as part oI your green marketing campaign - all by itselI it lets the public know why single
use plastic bags are environmentally disastrous and that you and your business care about the
environment.
And the third element? y shopping at your store, the customer is taking action to protect the
environment by preventing at least one single use plastic bag Irom going into a landIill. It doesn't
sound like much, but he or she gets the satisIaction oI physically doing something that IulIills
their belieIs. You can also reinIorce your customers` green decisions and increase their
participation by oIIering them additional related actions, such as buying cloth bags to use Ior
Iuture purchases.
Sometimes the best thing to do with a bandwagon is jump on it. You have to walk the talk and
actually implement green policies and act in environmentally Iriendly ways Ior green marketing
to work, but iI you do, you've got a powerIul selling point with those who are environmentally
conscious and want to act to make the world a greener place - a market that's growing
exponentially right now.
Michael J. Polonsky deIines green marketing as: "All activities designed to generate and
Iacilitate any exchange intended to satisIy human needs or wants such that satisIying oI these
needs and wants occur with minimal detrimental input on the national environment."

Green
marketing is driving a lot oI corporate social responsibilities (CSR) themes today. Some Iirms
are going green Ior short term beneIits while others are looking at it as a long term responsibility
and incorporating 'green' as a part oI their corporate DNA. This involves developing and
marketing environment-Iriendly products that use sustainable methods and include green
packaging and labels.
Consumers worldwide are showing more concern about the environment by preIerring
environment-Iriendly products and services.
Among the recent green marketing eIIorts in India was the NDTV-Toyota Greenathon campaign
to support the 'ighting a illion ives' cause, to provide solar power to villages without
electricity. Toyota PRIUS, the hybrid electric car, is another eIIort in the green space. Hindustan
Unilever's 'Save Water' Campaign is yet another, with the company deciding to launch products
that consume less water.
ut are all green campaigns really tuned into environmental concern? Consumers will discard
'greenwashing' green messages that are deceptive or selI-serving.
Jacquelyn Ottman, in her book, 'The New Rules Ior Green Marketing: Strategies, Tools, and
Inspiration Ior Sustainable randing' says that marketing 'primary beneIits' oI green products can
broaden their appeal. She also says that customers today are looking Ior more than just Iunctional
beneIits in their products they want brands that share their values.
Green marketing on a holistic level should not only include products or ideas but should have a
parallel between eco-Iriendliness and consumer satisIaction. A Iew companies get caught up in
the web oI green marketing myopia, wherein the balance between environmental concern and
consumer satisIaction is lost.
Sustainability is the biggest challenge Ior a green campaign, as too the maturity oI consumers.
Are our consumers 'green' enough?











Introduction
Yes, green marketing is a golden goose. As per Mr. J. Polonsky, green marketing can be deIined
as, "All activities designed to generate and Iacilitate any exchange intended to satisIy human
needs or wants such that satisIying oI these needs and wants occur with minimal detrimental
input on the national environment."
Green marketing involves developing and promoting products and services that satisIy
customer's want and need Ior Quality, PerIormance, AIIordable Pricing and Convenience
without having a detrimental input on the environment.

Evolution of Green Marketing
The green marketing has evolved over a period oI time. According to Peattie (2001), the
evolution oI green marketing has three phases. First phase was termed as "Ecological" green
marketing, and during this period all marketing activities were concerned to help environment
problems and provide remedies Ior environmental problems. Second phase was "Environmental"
green marketing and the Iocus shiIted on clean technology that involved designing oI innovative
new products, which take care oI pollution and waste issues. Third phase was "Sustainable"
green marketing. It came into prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000.

Why Green Marketing?
As resources are limited and human wants are unlimited, it is important Ior the marketers to
utilize the resources eIIiciently without waste as well as to achieve the organization's objective.
So green marketing is inevitable.

There is growing interest among the consumers all over the world regarding protection oI
environment. Worldwide evidence indicates people are concerned about the environment and are
changing their behavior. As a result oI this, green marketing has emerged which speaks Ior
growing market Ior sustainable and socially responsible products and services.

Benefits of Green Marketing
Companies that develop new and improved products and services with environment inputs in
mind give themselves access to new markets, increase their proIit sustainability, and enjoy a
competitive advantage over the companies which are not concerned Ior the environment.

Adoption of Green Marketing
There are basically Iive reasons Ior which a marketer should go Ior the adoption oI green
marketing. They are -
Opportunities or competitive advantage
Corporate social responsibilities (CSR)
Government pressure
Competitive pressure
Cost or proIit issues
Green Marketing Mix
WHY IS GREEN MARKETING CHOSEN
BY MOST MARKETERS?

by Nayan Ranjan Sinha
Tuesday 29th, June 2010 view (2220) Share


Nayan Ranjan Sinha

ecturer
Most oI the companies are venturing into green marketing because oI the Iollowing reasons:
Opportunity
In India, around 25 oI the consumers preIer environmental-Iriendly products, and around 28
may be considered healthy conscious. There Iore, green marketers have diverse and Iairly
sizeable segments to cater to. The SurI Excel detergent which saves water (advertised with the
message"do bucket paani roz bachana") and the energy-saving G consumers durables are
examples oI green marketing. We also have green buildings which are eIIicient in their use oI
energy, water and construction materials, and which reduce the impact on human health and the
environment through better design, construction, operation, maintenance and waste disposal. In
India, the green building movement, spearheaded by the ConIederation oI Indian industry (CII) -
Godrej Green business Center, has gained tremendous impetus over the last Iew years. From
20,000 sq It in 2003, India's green building Iootprint is now over 25 million sq It.
Social-Responsibility
Many companies have started realizing that they must behave in an environment-Iriendly
Iashion. They believe both in achieving environmental objectives as well as proIit related
objectives. The HSC became the world's Iirst bank to go carbon-neutral last year. Other
examples include Coca-Cola, which has invested in various recycling activities. Walt Disney
World in Florida, US, has an extensive waste management program and inIrastructure in place.
Governmental-Pressure
Various regulations rare Iramed by the government to protect consumers and the society at large.
The Indian government too has developed a Iramework oI legislations to reduce the production
oI harmIul goods and by products. These reduce the industry's production and consumers'
consumption oI harmIul goods, including those detrimental to the environment; Ior example, the
ban oI plastic bags in Mumbai, prohibition oI smoking in public areas, etc.
Competitive-Pressure
Many companies take up green marketing to maintain their competitive edge. The green
marketing initiatives by niche companies such as ody Shop and Green & lack have prompted
many mainline competitors to Iollow suit.
Cost-Reduction
Reduction oI harmIul waste may lead to substantial cost savings. Sometimes, many Iirms
develop symbiotic relationship whereby the waste generated by one company is used by another
as a cost-eIIective raw material. For example, the Ily ash generated by thermal power plants,
which would otherwise contributed to a gigantic quantum oI solid waste, is used to manuIacture
Ily ash bricks Ior construction purposes.
BENEFITS OF GREEN MARKETING
Today's consumers are becoming more and more conscious about the environment and are also
becoming socially responsible. ThereIore, more companies are responsible to consumers'
aspirations Ior environmentally less damaging or neutral products. Many companies want to
have an early-mover advantage as they have to eventually move towards becoming green. Some
oI the advantages oI green marketing are,
O It ensures sustained long-term growth along with proIitability.
O It saves money in the long run, thought initially the cost is more.
O It helps companies market their products and services keeping the environment aspects in
mind. It helps in accessing the new markets and enjoying competitive advantage.
O Most oI the employees also Ieel proud and responsible to be working Ior an
environmentally responsible company.
PROBLEMS OF GREEN MARKETING
Many organizations want to turn green, as an increasing number oI consumers' ant to associate
themselves with environmental-Iriendly products. Alongside, one also witnesses conIusion
among the consumers regarding the products. In particular, one oIten Iinds distrust regarding the
credibility oI green products. ThereIore, to ensure consumer conIidence, marketers oI green
products need to be much more transparent, and reIrain Irom breaching any law or standards
relating to products or business practices.
PATHS TO GREENNESS
Green marketing involves Iocusing on promoting the consumption oI green products. ThereIore,
it becomes the responsibility oI the companies to adopt creativity and insight, and be committed
to the development oI environment-Iriendly products. This will help the society in the long run.
Companies which embark on green marketing should adopt the Iollowing principles in their path
towards greenness.
O Adopt new technology/ Process or modiIy existing technology/ Process so as to reduce
environmental impact.
O Establish a management control system that will lead to adherence oI stringent
environmental saIety norms.
O Explore possibilities oI recycling oI the used products so that it can be used to oIIer
similar or other beneIits with less wastage.
O Using more environment-Iriendly raw materials at the production stage itselI.
Creen Marketing: Leads To Product Innovation
Creen MarkeLlng Leads Lo roducL lnnovaLlon
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novel lnsLlLuLe of ManagemenL SLudles
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Mall ld man[ukadam[gmallcom
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AbsLracL
All of manklnd has llmlLed resources on Lhe earLh wlLh whlch she/he musL aLLempL Lo provlde for Lhe
worlds unllmlLed wanLs ln markeL socleLles where Lhere ls freedom of cholce lL has generally been
accepLed LhaL lndlvlduals and organlzaLlons have Lhe rlghL Lo aLLempL Lo have Lhelr wanLs saLlsfled As
flrms face llmlLed naLural resources Lhey musL develop new or alLernaLlve ways of saLlsfylng Lhese
unllmlLed wanLs ulLlmaLely green markeLlng looks aL how markeLlng acLlvlLles uLlllze Lhese llmlLed
resources whlle saLlsfylng consumers wanLs boLh of lndlvlduals and lndusLry 1he paper clearly sLaLes
Lhe Lremendous opporLunlLles and challenges ln Lhe producL lnnovaLlon Lhrough Lhe green markeLlng
concepL
lnLroducLlon
?eL deflnlng green markeLlng ls noL a slmple Lask CLher slmllar Lerms used are LnvlronmenLal MarkeLlng
and Lcologlcal MarkeLlng 1he Lerm green markeLlng came lnLo promlnence ln Lhe laLe 1980s and early
1990s 1he Amerlcan MarkeLlng AssoclaLlon (AMA) held Lhe flrsL workshop on Lcologlcal MarkeLlng ln
1973 1he proceedlngs of Lhls workshop resulLed ln one of Lhe flrsL books on green markeLlng enLlLled
Lcologlcal MarkeLlng
Accordlng Lo Amerlcan MarkeLlng AssoclaLlon Creen MarkeLlng ls Lhe markeLlng of producLs LhaL are
presumed Lo be envlronmenLally safe 1hus green markeLlng lncorporaLes a broad range of acLlvlLles
lncludlng producL modlflcaLlon changes Lo Lhe producLlon process packaglng changes as well as
modlfylng adverLlslng
Creen markeLlng ls such a hoL Loplc now a day 1he markeL for green producLs are esLlmaLed
approxlmaLed $209 bllllon 8lslng energy prlces concern over cllmaLe change and waLer shorLages
healLh concern and economlc facLors are all drlvlng consumers Lo reassess

Creen Marketing Examples
C8LLn MA8kL1lnC 8AC1lCLS Cl lnulAn ll8MS
lnLroducLlon
Accordlng Lo Lhe Amerlcan MarkeLlng AssoclaLlon green markeLlng ls Lhe markeLlng of producLs LhaL are
presumed Lo be envlronmenLally safe 1hus green markeLlng lncorporaLes a broad range of acLlvlLles
lncludlng producL modlflcaLlon changes Lo Lhe producLlon process packaglng changes as well as
modlfylng adverLlslng ?eL deflnlng green markeLlng ls noL a slmple Lask where several meanlngs
lnLersecL and conLradlcL each oLher an example of Lhls wlll be Lhe exlsLence of varylng soclal
envlronmenLal and reLall deflnlLlons aLLached Lo Lhls Lerm CLher slmllar Lerms used are LnvlronmenLal
MarkeLlng and Lcologlcal MarkeLlng 1hus Creen MarkeLlng refers Lo hollsLlc markeLlng concepL
whereln Lhe producLlon markeLlng consumpLlon an dlsposal of producLs and servlces happen ln a
manner LhaL ls less deLrlmenLal Lo Lhe envlronmenL wlLh growlng awareness abouL Lhe lmpllcaLlons of
global warmlng nonblodegradable solld wasLe harmful lmpacL of polluLanLs eLc boLh markeLers and
consumers are becomlng lncreaslngly senslLlve Lo Lhe need for swlLch ln Lo green producLs and servlces
Whlle Lhe shlfL Lo green may appear Lo be expenslve ln Lhe shorL Lerm lL wlll deflnlLely prove Lo be
lndlspensable and advanLageous cosLwlse Loo ln Lhe long run
Why Creen MarkeLlng?
lL ls really scary Lo read Lhese pleces of lnformaLlon as reporLed ln Lhe 1lmes recenLly Alr polluLlon
damage Lo people crops and wlldllfe ln he uS LoLals Lens of bllllons of dollars each year More Lhan 12
oLher sLudles ln Lhe uS 8razll Lurope Mexlco SouLh korea and 1alwan have esLabllshed llnks beLween
alr polluLanLs and low blrLh welghL premaLure blrLh sLlll blrLh and lnfanL deaLh
As resources are llmlLed and human wanLs are unllmlLed lL ls lmporLanL for Lhe markeLers Lo uLlllze Lhe
resources efflclenLly wlLhouL wasLe as well as Lo achleve Lhe organlzaLlons ob[ecLlve So green
markeLlng ls lnevlLable
1here ls growlng lnLeresL

Green Marketing Stategies
O ome age
O 8uslness Lconomy
O MarkeLlng AdverLlslng 8esearch apers
Creen Marketing Stategies
arkeLlng

A aper on

Creen MarkeLlng SLraLegy

repared by

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MasLer of hllosophy

(8uslness AdmlnlsLraLlon)

Avlnashlllngam school of managemenL Lechnology

Avlnashlllngam unlverslLy

ColmbaLore641043

emall ld rsoundarya_mba[yahooln

moblle no 98430 23433

Creen MarkeLlng SLraLegy

1he cumulaLlve effecL of human acLlvlLy ls LhreaLenlng Lhe ecologlcal sysLem upon whlch we all depend
lL ls a maLLer of facL LhaL Lhe lnLroducLlon of chemlcals ln Lhe producLs we use dally and Lhe fallure Lo
recycle much wasLe are serlous falllngs ln mosL of Lhe lndusLrlallzed world ?eL desplLe Lhls knowledge
we flnd ourselves sucked lnLo consumpLlon chooslng an lLem more for lLs aLLracLlve packaglng or lLs
lmage Lhan for any real needs"(loxall1992)vlrLually no lndusLry ln lndla probably ln Lhe world ls
lmmune from envlronmenL problems All aspecLs of Lhe producLlon and sale of goods from Lhe
exLracLlon of resources Lo Lhelr LransporLaLlon converslon lnLo useful producLs and flnal dlsposal have
serlous envlronmenLal repercusslons

LvoluLlon of green markeLlng

1he Lerm Creen MarkeLlng came lnLo promlnence ln Lhe laLe 1980s and early 1990s1he Amerlcan
MarkeLlng AssoclaLlon (AMA) held Lhe flrsL workshop on Lcologlcal MarkeLlng ln 1973 1he
proceedlngs of Lhls workshop resulLed ln one of Lhe flrsL books on green markeLlng enLlLled Lcologlcal
MarkeLlng
Creen markeLlng ls used Lo descrlbe any markeLlng acLlvlLy of a flrm LhaL ls lnLended Lo creaLe poslLlve
lmpacL or Lo lessen Lhe negaLlve lmpacL of a producL on Lhe envlronmenL and as a resulL caplLallze on
consumers concern for envlronmenLal lssues"
A survey ls conducLed by 8uslness 1oday 1aLa Lnergy 8esearch lnsLlLuLe (1L8l) Lo ldenLlfy Lop Len
green companles of lndla ln March 2000

|sno |name of organlzaLlon |Creen markeLlng acLlvlLles
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Creen Marketing Examples
C8LLn MA8kL1lnC 8AC1lCLS Cl lnulAn ll8MS
lnLroducLlon
Accordlng Lo Lhe Amerlcan MarkeLlng AssoclaLlon green markeLlng ls Lhe markeLlng of producLs LhaL are
presumed Lo be envlronmenLally safe 1hus green markeLlng lncorporaLes a broad range of acLlvlLles
lncludlng producL modlflcaLlon changes Lo Lhe producLlon process packaglng changes as well as
modlfylng adverLlslng ?eL deflnlng green markeLlng ls noL a slmple Lask where several meanlngs
lnLersecL and conLradlcL each oLher an example of Lhls wlll be Lhe exlsLence of varylng soclal
envlronmenLal and reLall deflnlLlons aLLached Lo Lhls Lerm CLher slmllar Lerms used are LnvlronmenLal
MarkeLlng and Lcologlcal MarkeLlng 1hus Creen MarkeLlng refers Lo hollsLlc markeLlng concepL
whereln Lhe producLlon markeLlng consumpLlon an dlsposal of producLs and servlces happen ln a
manner LhaL ls less deLrlmenLal Lo Lhe envlronmenL wlLh growlng awareness abouL Lhe lmpllcaLlons of
global warmlng nonblodegradable solld wasLe harmful lmpacL of polluLanLs eLc boLh markeLers and
consumers are becomlng lncreaslngly senslLlve Lo Lhe need for swlLch ln Lo green producLs and servlces
Whlle Lhe shlfL Lo green may appear Lo be expenslve ln Lhe shorL Lerm lL wlll deflnlLely prove Lo be
lndlspensable and advanLageous cosLwlse Loo ln Lhe long run
Why Creen MarkeLlng?
lL ls really scary Lo read Lhese pleces of lnformaLlon as reporLed ln Lhe 1lmes recenLly Alr polluLlon
damage Lo people crops and wlldllfe ln he uS LoLals Lens of bllllons of dollars each year More Lhan 12
oLher sLudles ln Lhe uS 8razll Lurope Mexlco SouLh korea and 1alwan have esLabllshed llnks beLween
alr polluLanLs and low blrLh welghL premaLure blrLh sLlll blrLh and lnfanL deaLh
As resources are llmlLed and human wanLs are unllmlLed lL ls lmporLanL for Lhe markeLers Lo uLlllze Lhe
resources efflclenLly wlLhouL wasLe as well as Lo achleve Lhe organlzaLlons ob[ecLlve So green
markeLlng ls lnevlLable
1here ls growlng lnLeresL