What is sustainability? How does it relate to marketing?
Posted by joeThe subject of sustainability can get complicated. This video offers a quick and simple overview. Watch the video. What marketing examples have you seen that promote sustainability? What are some examples that promote unsustainable business practices? Do firms have a responsibility to be more sustainable? Should this be enforced with greater government regulation? If not, how?
This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 21st, 2012 at 2:00 pm and is filed under Ethics, Social responsibility, Sustainability. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
I believe that companies should not be more regulated by the government to become more sustainable because ultimately it is not the governments role to place rules on the businesses to require them to become more sustainable, although, I do believe that there should be some regulation to make sure companies are not acting in a completely unsustainable way. As the Earth becomes more of a topic among people it has also created markets of consumers who demand products that are beneficial to our world. An example of this is through OAT shoes, OAT saw an opportunity in the market for fashionable but sustainable shoes. They produce shoes that you can literally bury in the ground after use, and they will decompose. Not only do they decompose but you can plant them and they will begin to grow plants, due to the seeds that are built into the shoes. OAT is a great example of how companies are beginning to find the sustainable market without having increased government regulation. I believe that companies should not be more regulated by the government to become more sustainable because ultimately it is not the governments role to place rules on the businesses to require them to become more sustainable, although, I do believe that there should be some regulation to make sure companies are not acting in a completely unsustainable way. As the Earth becomes more of a topic among people it has also created markets of consumers who demand products that are beneficial to our world. An example of this is through OAT shoes, OAT saw an opportunity in the market for fashionable but sustainable shoes. They produce shoes that you can literally bury in the ground after use, and they will decompose. Not only do they decompose but you can plant them and they will begin to grow plants, due to the seeds that are built into the shoes. OAT is a great example of how companies are beginning to find the sustainable market without having increased government regulation.I believe that companies should not be more regulated by the government to become more sustainable because ultimately it is not the governments role to place rules on the businesses to require them to become more sustainable, although, I do believe that there should be some regulation to make sure companies are not acting in a completely unsustainable way. As the Earth becomes more of a topic among people it has also created markets of consumers who demand products that are beneficial to our world. An example of this is through OAT shoes, OAT saw an opportunity in the market for fashionable but sustainable shoes. They produce shoes that you can literally bury in the ground after use, and they will decompose. Not only do they decompose but you can plant them and they will begin to grow plants, due to the seeds that are built into the shoes. OAT is a great example of how companies are beginning to find the sustainable market without having increased government regulation. http://www.oatshoes.com
February 21st, 2012 at 10:17 pmThe need for sustainability has been brought into the public eye, so marketers have been forced to adapt to the “green” movement whether they want to or not. The damages to the environment are motivating car companies to market a hybrid and/or electric model, for example. To stay competitive in the car industry, companies are having to show that they will adapt to the needs of their consumers- even if those needs mean changing something as significant as the product they are selling. Coca-Cola is embracing new environmental technology to create the packaging and storage of their products. It may have been cheaper to use the plastic bottles of a decade ago, but the demand for change is making the market change dramatically. Colleges are trying to ban Dasani from their campuses. That Coca-Cola product has to change its marketing strategy to compete with the “green” ideology of those campuses, or they could keep losing more customers. Businesses run on profit more than anything else, so the best way to make sustainable change is to alter demand. Consumers have the power to choose which product they purchase, so the best regulation would be to change public opinion. If more and more people choose to purchase the green option of a product instead of the original, it will force the original company to conform to green efforts as well. The government should regulate the industries that are the largest polluters. Some industries would not be affected by a green demand, so the government would have to step in to make sure those companies do not exceed more than necessary pollution.
February 23rd, 2012 at 10:08 pmFirms do have a responsibility to be sustainable, and if they are not able to meet the needs of our planet and future generations then they should be regulated more heavily by the federal government. Though the government’s primary role may not be to regulate business, if firms are not willing to do what is best for society, then that resposibility falls to the government in the form of regulation. Both Dell and Hewlett-Packard disclose all of their suppliers to help ensure environmental sustainability. Apple will soon allow an environmental check on one more of its twelve suspected suppliers. These companies choose to do this because they know concern is growing over how ethically and efficiently products are made. There has been a push for a “green movement”, but this has been somewhat offset by the fact that “environmentally friendly” products are often more expensive than those that are not. Companies like Simple Green, which is a green household cleaner brand, make customers want their product through good marketing techniques despite the small increase in price. A combination of business ethics, good marketing, and government regulation, will make it possible to have a more sustainable future.
February 29th, 2012 at 11:24 pmSustainability is one of the most important issues facing out society today and it has come to appear that the decisions we make as a society in the next 10-15 years will impact the future of this planet in immeasurable ways. As a society we have developed a complete dependence on unsustainable practices for many years and it is only now that we have begun to see the damage that has been done. While reliance on natural gas, heavy metals, and man made products has greatly increased the convenience and efficiency with which we operate they have crippled the earth is ways most people haven’t begun to understand. While recognition of these problems is vital, and has become widespread, the necessary changes we need to make will not be easily accepted by the general public. A prime example of this is our dependance on fossil fuels, especially oil. This one, totally non-renewable product is a part of nearly everything people do. From transportation, to plastics, to computers oil and its derivatives are crucial. Additionally our government is highly funded by the profits the oil industry provides making officials weary of any change that too quickly eliminates this river of money. Many people would like to see the government take a stronger stand in protecting our futures but they are in a position of losing financial support if they make too drastic a change. the change needs to come from citizens first because we have an often overlooked ability to sway the actions of our government. For citizens to be able to do this they need to have a higher level of education about the problems at hand because knowledge = power! Most older people do not want to hear these issues because they contradict the life that they have become accustom to. The most effective education would be with the youth of society because they are not only open to new ideas but they will be running the planet before we know it.
March 6th, 2012 at 9:52 amSustainability awareness has been on the rise in the past 10, 20, 30 years. Because awareness has been growing it is a trending topic, and marketers have adjusted their strategies to meet what is important to consumers. Many companies are using recycled plastics and papers to be more environmentally friendly. An example would be Starbucks. Obviously they have a huge market share of coffee drinkers around the world. By using recycled plastics for their cups and paper as well, they don’t lose customers who might switch to a more sustainable company and they may also find new customers happy to support an environmentally sustainable company. New Belgium takes pride in their support for environmental sustainability. They reduce their paper usage, recycle as much as possible, save water and energy with technologies that they use in operations. In contrast, since brewing beer is so energy intensive, most beer manufacturers save money by not investing in sustainable equipment and practices. Bottling water is extremely unsustainable. Not just plastics filling landfills, but also the pumping of ground water. We are pumping ground water at a rate of 50 times more than water is returning to the ground. Firms do have a ethical responsibility to be more environmentally sustainable. Their choices far outweigh individuals in limiting (or not) a Carbon footprint. I think government has a responsibility to lead firms to be more responsible. Companies tend to be greedy in nature and the government should be more focused on incentives than regulation, although regulation is necessary as well
March 20th, 2012 at 5:33 pm