PAPERmaking! g FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF PAPER TECHNOLOGY Volume 2, Number 1, 2016
Introduction 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, change in packaging, as well as modifying advertising [1]. Yet defining green marketing is not a simple task where several meanings intersect and contradict each other; an example of this will be the existence of varying social, environmental and retail definitions attached to this term [2]. Other similar terms used are Environmental Marketing and Ecological Marketing. Evolution of green marketing The first wave of Green Marketing came into the picture in the 1980s. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Reports started with the ice cream seller Ben and Jerry's where the financial report was supplemented by a greater view on the company's environmental impact. In 1987 a document prepared by the World Commission on Environment and Development defined sustainable development as meeting "the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own need"; this became known as the Brundtland Report and was another step towards widespread thinking on sustainability in everyday activity [3]. Two tangible milestones for the wave of green marketing came in the form of published books, both of which were called Green Marketing. They were by Kinnear [4] in the United Kingdom and by Jacquelyn Ottman [5] in the United States of America. In the years after 2000 a second wave of Green marketing emerged. By now CSR and the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) were widespread. Such publications as a 2005 United Nations Report, then in 2006 a book by Al Gore and the UK Stern Report brought scientific- environmental arguments to a wide public in an easy to understand way. Objective The objective of this paper is to examine the need, importance and problems of green marketing and also to evaluate the initiatives taken by Indian companies for green marketing in their core business values. Importance of green marketing Companies that develop new and improved products, and services with environmental inputs in mind give themselves access to new markets, increase their profit sustainability and enjoy a competitive advantage over the companies that are not concerned for the environment [6].
Some of the advantages of green marketing are as follows 1. It ensures sustained long-term growth along with profitability. 2. It saves money in the long run, although initial cost is more.
3. It helps the companies to market their products and services keeping the environment aspects in mind. It helps in accessing new markets and enjoying a competitive advantage. 4. Most of the employees also feel proud and responsible to be working for an environmentally responsible company. 5. It promotes corporate social responsibility.
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Article 9 – Marketing (Green Concepts)
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