Green marketing, anyone?

Green marketing is a slowly-emerging marketing trend today. In a previous post I wrote about how some companies have started selling products with bamboo plant as the material of choice because of this big word: sustainability.

Green marketing is defined as the process of selling products or services which benefit the environment, one way or another. It is a departure from traditionally-wasteful and unsustainable marketing methods where business usually tended to package products in disposable and often environmentally-harmful plastics. It also covers the following principles:

• The product is manufactured sustainably.
• Its manufacturing line is free from toxic and harmful materials.
• The supply chain is sustainable.
• The product is made from renewable and/or sustainable materials.
• The products are minimally-packaged, and the packaging is sustainable or recyclable.

Automobile manufacturers like Toyota and Honda sell hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius and the Honda Civic Hybrid, both of which consume less fuel and emit less carbon than conventionally-powered vehicles. Likewise, many startups have emerged as socially responsible and thus sell goods which are sourced from sustainable materials (bamboo as an example, but there are many more).

It is also imperative that we marketers should also be more mindful about the environment, as climate change is a hot issue right now.