Green Marketing

Week 4

Group work

“Green Marketing” has been a challenge to firms producing environmentally friendly products. The obstacles stated range from overexposure and lack of credibility, to the consumer not willing to pay a premium prices for “green” products, to poor implementation on the part of companies engaged in the practice. Discuss this issue: “When faced with a decision to market its products as “environmentally safe” or to market its products along conventional lines (matching competitive positioning), does the company have a responsibility to choose the more socially responsible manner or should the dictates of the marketplace (i.e. consumer) decide its marketing strategy?”

Introduction - What does going green mean?
Transforming to a more eco-oriented society requires plenty of time and initiative. It requires many supports. These means the Government announces action for the nation to protect the environment, to encourage green technology and growth, and to facilitate the ease of transition in lifestyle as well as for businesses.
It means individuals are doing what they can do reduce their own carbon footprint through reduced energy use and consumption by upcycling and recycling.
It means businesses will actually begin investing in green technology, the simplest way they can using eco-friendly energy sources as much as possible, via more efficient methods, may it be in administration or operations.
What are the benefits for the economy of going green? Making this transformation will result in new opportunities, more efficiency and therefore, more financial savings, and even a more productive, healthier public to work and spend money in the resulting green, sustainable economy.
Definition of Green Marketing
Green marketing alternatively means sustainable marketing, environmental marketing, green advertising, eco marketing, organic marketing, all of which is essentially a way to brand marketing message in order to capture more market share by appealing to people’s desire for wanting products and services that are better for the environment.
There are many environmental issues impacted by the production of goods and rendering of services, and therefore there are also many ways a company can market their eco-friendly offerings to issues such as an item can save water, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, cut toxic pollution, clean indoor air, and/or be easily recyclable.
When put side by side with the competition, the more environmental marketing claims the product or service can make, the more likely it is the consumer will select it, provided the price point isn’t too much higher than the alternative.
What Makes Marketing Green?
Green marketing can take many forms. For instance, an organization may market eco-friendly aspects such as: * Operational sustainability: Service companies and manufacturers can improve operational sustainability by reducing everyday energy and water consumption, minimizing pollution, using greener materials and processes, and properly managing waste. * Green products: Companies producing products can do many things to improve the green factor of their offerings, including choosing sustainable materials, designing products to save energy and water, and making products that are less toxic and more natural than competitors’ goods. Greener products will also be packaged in an eco-friendly manner and will be made to be easily recycled or composted. * Sustainable marketing: Companies must ensure that the actual marketing systems really distinct from operational sustainability which focuses on manufacturing and production. For instance, when printing marketing materials, use 100% post-consumer recycled paper made without chlorine (called “processed chlorine free”) and printed using plant-based dyes (like soy inks). You could also investigate tools like green web hosting, carbon offsets for any marketing emissions you may cause, recycling any unused materials from billboards and signage, ecological packaging, and so on. * Environmental causes: Any organization can choose to promote environmental causes. Nonprofits and NGOs will engage in green marketing to get the word out about their activities, but for-profits can also suppose environmental causes by making donations and advertising for these environmental do-gooders as part of a green marketing campaign.
Targeting Green Consumers
Understanding a particular marketplace is a necessity to ensure effective environmental marketing campaign. In general, there will be at least three levels of green consumers in any industry. * Deep green consumers are serious about their choices and will be looking for hard proof of the eco-friendliness of your claims. This group requires verifiable proof that you’re providing products and services that will truly benefit the environment. * The second group includes people genuinely interested in helping the planet, but not as current on the biggest environmental issues. This group may also be less willing to pay a premium for your green offerings. * The third group includes people who are either apathetic or antagonistic toward green marketing efforts.

Regardless the type of target market, an eco marketing campaign should have these several factors to ensure long-term sustainability in going green : * Green claims should be genuine and verifiable. * Informed loyal consumers about the benefits for the environment. * Find ways for customers’ participation in contributing to help sustain the natural resources and protects environment by choosing THE service or product.
Mother Nature helps in many ways!
Go green transformation in an organization will result in new opportunities, more efficiency and therefore, more financial savings, and even a more productive, healthier public to work and spend money in the resulting green, sustainable economy. Malaysians must realize by having this transformation, they will need to accommodate themselves with new opportunities in every single way they can think off.
Going green opens new possibilities for sustainable economic growth. * New technology requires innovative minds to design the technology. * New jobs will be created in various sectors to support the new businesses hence will contribute to country’s economy. * More business for supporting companies. These companies create ways to supply efficient, eco-friendly products to support green business, opportunities for expansion and growth.

Recommendation

The study makes clear that the more deeply ingrained sustainability is within a company’s organizational structure, the more likely it is that these practices add to the company’s bottom line. For example, companies that say they have profited from their sustainability initiatives are 50 percent more likely to have a CEO strongly committed to the programs, are twice as likely to have a separate reporting process for sustainability, and are more than twice as likely to have a chief sustainability officer.

Sometimes, internal efforts to improve sustainability can lead to new product offerings. In order to benefit corporate performances; sustainability must be paired with innovation. Without innovation, financial benefits will not quantify.

Conclusion

To conclude, sustainability and efficiency are the products of eco living. The product of conventional living is stagnancy. The next step is how to enhance awareness in Malaysian societies’ eyes and make it a culture. To think of effective way of how practical and cost-effective these changes are is the first step in the great transformation to a greener society.
While there may be costs along the way as businesses and individuals make changes, the long-term benefits are not only incredible, but they are essential. Educating young minds may be a good way as they have the bargaining power to create adults attention to participate. Malaysians must understand now that their lifestyle today is not sustainable.
All sectors, from agriculture to energy, cannot continue as they are today. There are not enough resources worldwide and there isn’t sufficient effort by businesses to re-build and replenish what is used, polluted, and destroyed.
There are so many benefits of going green for the economy. The goal and vision of a more eco-friendly society should be shared by all, as nations, large and small businesses, and individuals are all set to thrive.
Let’s go green, today…..