Chapter 1 – introduction to Sustainable marketing
The world faces extraordinary and unprecedented challenges relating to both the environment and society. Rapidly increasing demand is colliding with declining resources. Vital ecosystems are under stress. Millions of people lack the most basic resources to sustain life. The problems lie in social and economic systems that are unsustainable awareness of the need for environmental and social sustainability has grown among citizens, governments and finally, mainstream businesses. Recently, that awareness appears to have reached a tipping point, which finally stimulated businesses and consumers to be more sustainable.
What is sustainability? Sustainability is the ability of a system no maintains or renews itself perpetually. For example with nature, people and animals renew their selves by making babies.
Sustainable marketing – is the process of creating, communicating and delivering value to customers in such a way that both natural and human capital are preserved or enhanced throughout.
Natural capital – consisting of all the resources nature provides, including both’ materials and ecosystem services
Human capital – consists of all the resources that people provide, including labour, talent and creativity.
Lithosphere – substances from the Earth’s crust, that provides us with troleum, coal and metal ores.
When sufficient concentrations of these substances come in the Biosphere, the part of the earth and its atmosphere in which all living organisms exist, they eventually create big problems like global warming
Human sustainability – is the opportunity for all humans to maintain fulfilling, productive lives while preserving or replenishing the natural and economic systems that make their well being possible.
There are three dimensions of sustainability that we as humans require to live a well-being life. These three dimensions are: