ABSTRACT
The present chapter examines the current state of customer-centric sustainability practices in firms operating in India. Drawing upon the qualitative insights obtained through in-depth interviews of senior executives of the firms under study, the findings suggest that given the amorphous nature and difficulty in quantifying the benefits accruing from sustainability, firms find it easier to take a product-centric approach towards integrating sustainability initiatives and marketing them rather than a customer-centric approach. The respondents in this study also acknowledge that marketing has the potential to remodel its current focus from managing customer relationships (and other stakeholders) to managing a broader set of marketplace issues involving economic, environmental and social dimensions and thus catering to the to the needs and wants of multiple stakeholders.
