Environmental issues have gained importance in business as well as in public life through out the world. It is not like that a few leaders of different countries or few big renowned business houses are concerned about the day to day deterioration of oxygen level in our atmosphere but every common citizen of our country and the world is concerned about this common threat of global warming. So in this scenario of global concern, corporate houses has taken green-marketing as a part of their strategy to promote products by employing environmental claims either about their attributes or about the systems, policies and processes of the firms that manufacture or sell them. Clearly green marketing is part and parcel of over all corporate strategy; along with manipulating the traditional marketing mix (product, price, promotion and place), it require an understanding of public policy process. So we can say green marketing covers a broad range of activities.
Green or Environmental Marketing consists of all activities designed to generate and facilitate any exchanges intended to satisfy human needs or wants, such that the satisfaction of these needs and wants occurs, with minimal detrimental impact on the natural environment. According to the American Marketing Association, green marketing is the marketing of products that are presumed to be environmentally safe. Thus green marketing incorporates a broad range of activities, including product modification, changes to the production process, packaging changes, as well as modifying advertising. Other similar terms used are Environmental Marketing and Ecological Marketing.
Firms use green marketing in an attempt to address cost or profit related issues. In implementing green marketing, consumers, corporate and the government play a very important role. But there are few constraints in implementing it like lack of consumer awareness, financial constraints, limited scientific knowledge, lack of stringent rules and competitive pressures. Green marketing involves developing and promoting products and Services that satisfy your customer wants and needs for quality, performance, affordable pricing and convenience without having a detrimental impact on the environment.
Why do Firms Go Green?
Firms may choose to green their systems, policies and products due to economic and non-economic pressures from their consumers, business partners, regulators, citizen groups and other stakeholders(non market environment).Some other reasons may includes:
- Some scholar claim that Green policies/products are profitable: Green policies can reduce costs; green firms can shape future regulations and reap first mover advantage.
- Now a day’s firms are becoming more concerned about their social responsibilities. They have taken social responsibilities as a good strategic move to build up an image in the heart of consumers. Even the socially responsible firms are getting leverage, whenever they intend to enter into foreign countries. There are example of firms like ITC, HUL who are heavily promoting them as an environmentally concerned firms, where as there is example of firms who are working in this direction in a silence manner like Coca-Cola, who have invested crores of money in various recycling activities, as well as having modified their packaging to minimize its environmental impact. While being concerned about the environment coke has not use their concern as a marketing tool. Another big organization who is also working in this field without claiming any credit is Walt Disney World (WDW). So we can see that firms in this situation have taken two perspectives:
- They are using green marketing as marketing tool.
- They are working in this field without promoting the fact.
- Change in customers attitude: With increasing concern about environment, consumers attitude towards firms having green policies or green products are becoming motivating factor.
- Governmental pressure: In all most all civilized countries Govt. has the law to protect the consumers and the environment from the harmful goods or by products and ensure through law that all types of consumers have the ability to evaluate the environmental composition of goods. Govt. established several regulations to control the hazardous waste produced by firms and many by-products of production are controlled through the issuing of various environmental licenses, thus shaping the behavior of organization towards more socially responsible one.
- Competitive pressure: Competition is the integral part of business; and you cannot over look any competitive action taken by your competitor. So to be in the market you have to have a vigil over your competitors move for marketing its products. Some firms have taken green-marketing as a strategy to build up its image rather than inculcate it as a part of the policy and work silence. In some instances this competitive pressure has caused an entire industry to modify and thus reduce its detrimental environmental behavior.
- Cost or profit issue:Firms may also use green marketing in an attempt to address cost or profit related issues. Disposing of environmentally harmful byproducts, such as polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contaminated oil are becoming increasingly costly and in some cases difficult. Therefore firms that can reduce harmful wastes may incur substantial cost savings. When attempting to minimize waste, firms are often forced to re-examine their production processes. In these cases they often develop more effective production processes that not only reduce waste, but reduce the need for some raw materials. This serves as a double cost savings, since both waste and raw material are reduced. In other cases firms attempt to find end — of — pipe solutions, instead of minimizing waste. In these situations firms try to find markets or uses for their waste materials, where one firm’s waste becomes another firm’s input of production. One Australian example of this is a firm who produces acidic waste water as a by-product of production and sells it to a firm involved in neutralizing base materials.