GREEN MARKETING

Green marketing is the production, promotion, pricing,
and distribution of products and services that are environmental
friendly. The concept of green marketing has its
roots in the three distinct environmental movements that
have occurred since the 1960s. These various environmental
movements have become known as environmentalism.
Environmentalism is the action of government agencies,
for-profit businesses, nonprofit organizations, and others
seeking to both protect and improve the environment.
The first movement occurred during the 1960s and
1970s when citizens and environmental groups became
concerned with ecosystem damage such as clear-cut logging
and human health problems resulting from polluted
air and water. The second movement occurred during the
1970s and 1980s when environmentalism was driven by
federal, state, and local governments that passed various
laws and regulations designed to reduce the negative
impact on the environment from business practices, products,
and services.
The third movement of environmentalism is driven
by businesses. During this stage, business has accepted
responsibility for not causing harm to the environment.
This acceptance of responsibility is known as environmental
sustainability. Businesses practicing environmental
sustainability seek to do no harm to the environment
while at the same time remaining profitable through the
products and services they sell. One strategy that businesses
use to remain profitable is green marketing.
Examples of environmental sustainability and green
marketing abound as more and more businesses continue
to adopt environmentally sustainable practices. Dell, for
example, understands that its responsibility for the computers
it produces does not end when they leave the factory.
As such, Dell has created the Dell Recycle program
in which it attempts to lessen the impact of obsolete computers,
keyboards, mice, monitors, and printers that
might otherwise end up in landfills. By recycling obsolete
computers, Dell is able to keep toxic chemicals out of
landfills and to reuse useful materials.
Another example of environmental sustainability and
green marketing are the forest management practices
adopted by International Paper. International Paper practices
sustainable forest management by administering and
conserving all forest resources for current and future generations.
As such, International Paper’s environmental sustainability
and green marketing encompasses the complete
forest environment: air, plants, soils, trees, and wildlife.
International Paper also partners with academic institutions,
environmental groups, and government agencies to
develop new ways of promoting responsible forest
resource management. As such, International Paper’s sustainable
forest practices demonstrate that the planting,
growing, and harvesting of trees and a healthy forest
ecosystem can go hand in hand.
Further, the concept of environmental sustainability
and green marketing has been extended by retailers of forest-
based products. For example, Home Depot established
a wood purchasing policy in 1999 that gives preference to
the purchasing of wood products originating from certified
well-managed forests, when practical, and to eliminating
the purchase of wood products from endangered
regions such as the Amazon. In addition, Home Depot
practices and promotes the efficient and responsible use of
wood products and the development and use of alternative environmental-friendly products as wood replacements.