ABSTRACT
Maybe more than any other sustainability discipline, the practice of green marketing is exploding as more and more companies (sincere or otherwise) seek to jump on the green bandwagon. Green marketing, as the name implies, means marketing and brand management for environmentally friendly products and services. Much of practice is standard marketing (market segmentation, product, price, placement, promotion, etc.), but green marketing may differ at times to include: eco-labeling, green product certification; cause marketing in connection with environmental causes; distribution through specialty green retailers; measuring/communicating a product’s life-cycle environmental impacts; and packaging or production considerations. With so many companies rushing to appeal to green consumers, a major pitfall is “greenwashing”. Companies must do more than ever to demonstrate to consumers that claims are substantiated. There are consulting agencies that specialize in green marketing, but the biggest set of opportunities is in working in the in-house marketing department of a green or values-driven company.
