From biodegradable phone cases to vegan leather purses, brands are prioritizing the creation of eco-friendly products in order to meet the demands of consumers. Green marketing is an important marketing tactic for brands when building their environmentally-conscious business strategies.
In this article we are going to discuss the goals of green marketing, the benefits of green marketing, and several green marketing examples. Let’s dive in!
Goals of Green Marketing
The goal of green marketing is to effectively promote the actual or perceived environmental sustainability of products. In addition to marketing an eco-friendly image to consumers, green marketing also has the goal of actually implementing the eco-friendly practices they’re promoting.
Offering an environmentally sustainable, or “green” product, encompasses a variety of areas. It can mean several different things, including using biodegradable packaging, adopting closed-loop business practices, or simply selling an eco-friendly product that’s been produced locally instead of imported from another country.
Green marketing has the goal of pushing brands to improve their products, packaging, and processes to be more environmentally conscious. This can include switching out ingredients for ones that are less toxic to humans and the environment. It can also include using plant-based ingredients or biodegradable ingredients.
When companies work to improve production processes to be more eco-friendly, this covers where and how it’s produced. Moving production of a product from another country to local production facilities cuts down on emissions from transportation.
While the cost to produce locally might be more expensive than producing in another country and shipping it, the perceived value of the brand in consumers’ eyes will outweigh it in the long run. Producing locally can help create brand loyalty, imprinting an eco-friendly appearance in the mind of your audience.
Benefits of Green Marketing
Even though green marketing campaigns can be expensive, it can be highly beneficial for businesses. One of the main benefits of green marketing is that it helps companies separate themselves from their competition. This is done by establishing themselves in the minds of consumers as more environmentally conscious.
Eco-friendly initiatives are becoming increasingly important to consumers, and they are starting to spend their money with the brands that support the causes that are important to them. Green marketing can help brands stand out from their competitors, improve their credibility with their audience, and also break into new audiences that prioritize green business practices.
Green marketing also gives companies the opportunity for innovation. Coming up with biodegradable products, curating plant-based ingredients, and adopting eco-friendly production practices push companies to improve and come up with innovative ideas.
Adopting environmentally-friendly business practices can also help companies save energy. By using green production practices, companies can reduce their energy usage. This can mean lower energy bills, including electric, water, and natural gas.
Ultimately, one of the most important benefits of green marketing is that it can help cement your business for the long haul. Environmentally-conscious production initiatives are designed to help make sure the company will be around for many years, and hopefully generations, to come.
Green Marketing Examples
Let’s discuss an example of green marketing.
Rothy’s: Shoes Made from Recycled Plastic
From Meghan Markle to Lily Collins, and Mandy Moore to Olivia Munn, there’s a long list of celebrities who love Rothy’s eco-friendly shoes. Rothy’s creates their line of shoes from the recycled plastic of single-use water bottles and ocean-bound marine plastic. The material is designed to last for years to come, reducing the need to continue buying new shoes.
In addition to being made from eco-friendly materials, what sets their shoes apart is that they are also machine washable. Shoes inevitably get dirty, and Rothy’s provided a simple and highly convenient solution to cleaning them. Not only did they create an environmentally-friendly product, they also created a better product than what was currently available in the market.
As part of their green marketing efforts, Rothy’s also uses sustainable manufacturing processes. The way they knit their recycled plastic fibers into fabric uses 30% less waste than widely used cut-and-sew methods.
In addition to their widely successful shoe offering, Rothy’s has expanded to also include purses and men’s accessories. With such an innovative base material, the possibilities for products are ever-expanding.
Companies Using Green Marketing
As green values become more and more important to today’s consumers, businesses are adopting green marketing practices at rapidly increasing rates.
TOMS: Eco-Friendly Materials and Production Practices
In addition to their ethical business practices, investment in grassroots nonprofit organizations, and focus on community, TOMS also has a detailed commitment to the planet. Their goal is to take care of the planet by sourcing 100% sustainable cotton by 2025, using packaging made from 80% recycled materials, creating a product line made from sustainable materials, and more.
Their earthwise product line requires products to have main components that contain a minimum percentage of sustainable materials. These materials include recycled cotton, 100% organic cotton, eco-fiber, and more. The earthwise materials require less water and fewer chemicals, and they help keep more waste out of landfills.
TOMS is also proudly partnering with green organizations like B Corp, Leather Working Group, and Canopy to help drive their environmentally-conscious production processes and sourcing efforts. These organizations help maintain transparency and eco-conscious sourcing initiatives.
Stella McCartney: Luxurious Vegetarian Leather
Eco-friendly and luxury are not mutually exclusive. Luxury fashion designer Stella McCartney has been proving this since day one. Since the brand’s launch in 2001, they’ve refrained from using animal leathers, feathers, and furs in their products.
The Stella McCartney brand uses vegetarian leather in their purses, pants, skirts, and more, proving that consumers can still indulge in their favorite luxury products without sacrificing the environment in the process.
Since animal leather has a high environmental impact, they promote their use of vegetarian leathers that rival, if not surpass, the real thing while also reducing their carbon footprint. The Stella McCartney brand puts a heavy emphasis on creating products that are not only eco-friendly, but also superior to their harmful alternatives.
Conclusion
Green marketing is about more than just the promotion of eco-friendly products, brands, and business practices. It’s about making improvements and finding innovation in the way products are sourced, produced, packaged, and shipped in order to create a better future for the next generation.
How will your brand innovate, create, and improve all in the name of green marketing?