Green Marketing or Green Washing
Green Marketing or Green Washing
In the competitive market place, companies will do anything to draw consumers attention towards their products or services. Today, many businesses are engaging in green marketing, the practice of promoting environmentally-safe products. Concerns are rapidly growing that some green marketing is just green washing. Companies are guilty of green washing when they mislead their buyers into thinking that their products are environmentally-friendly. They tend to hide the fact that their goods are mostly made up of harmful ingredients. Green marketing is the promotion of various goods or services that are based on their environmental benefits. These products are said to be environmentally safe and have little to no negative impact on the external surroundings in which one lives. Many of these goods actually help the natural environment instead of harming it. Numerous writers have given various definition of what green marketing is. According to Polonsky, green marketing “consists of all activities designed to generate and facilitate any exchanges intended to satisfy human needs or wants, such that the satisfaction of these needs and wants occurs, with minimal detrimental impact on the natural environment.”1
What Polonsky is saying is both the consumer and the environment are protected and neither one is being harmed. He is implying that green products should be referred to as “less environmentally harmful,” rather than being “environmentally friendly.”
Stanton and Futrell stated that green marketing is, “...all activities designed to generate and facilitate any exchanges intended to satisfy human needs and wants; therefore it ensure that the interest of the organization and all its consumers are protected, as voluntary exchange will not take place unless the buyers and sellers are mutually benefited.”2
This definition is similar to what Polonsky had stated, however it does not mention anything about the
In the competitive market place, companies will do anything to draw consumers attention towards their products or services. Today, many businesses are engaging in green marketing, the practice of promoting environmentally-safe products. Concerns are rapidly growing that some green marketing is just green washing. Companies are guilty of green washing when they mislead their buyers into thinking that their products are environmentally-friendly. They tend to hide the fact that their goods are mostly made up of harmful ingredients. Green marketing is the promotion of various goods or services that are based on their environmental benefits. These products are said to be environmentally safe and have little to no negative impact on the external surroundings in which one lives. Many of these goods actually help the natural environment instead of harming it. Numerous writers have given various definition of what green marketing is. According to Polonsky, green marketing “consists of all activities designed to generate and facilitate any exchanges intended to satisfy human needs or wants, such that the satisfaction of these needs and wants occurs, with minimal detrimental impact on the natural environment.”1
What Polonsky is saying is both the consumer and the environment are protected and neither one is being harmed. He is implying that green products should be referred to as “less environmentally harmful,” rather than being “environmentally friendly.”
Stanton and Futrell stated that green marketing is, “...all activities designed to generate and facilitate any exchanges intended to satisfy human needs and wants; therefore it ensure that the interest of the organization and all its consumers are protected, as voluntary exchange will not take place unless the buyers and sellers are mutually benefited.”2
This definition is similar to what Polonsky had stated, however it does not mention anything about the
Bibliography: Esty, Daniel C., and Andrew S. Winston. Green to gold: how smart companies use environmental strategy to innovate, create value, and build competitive advantage. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2009. This book gives a detailed view on green marketing and management with many facts, lists and resources. The authors focus on opportunities and discuss how adapting your business for the sake of the environment is not easy or cheap. They list environmental issues and give a deeper understand for each issue. Makower, Joel, and Cara Pike. Strategies for the green economy: opportunities and challenges in the new world of business. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009. This book explains how companies can succeed in green marketing regarding consumers and their demands for the environment. They bring forth the opportunities a business can experience and challenges that they can overcome. The authors also expand on many issues that have to do with green marketing and how some can be avoided. Polonsky, M. J. “An Introduction to Green Marketing.” Electronic Green Journal 1, no. 2 (November 1994) This document discusses what green marketing is and why it is important. The author explain why firm are deciding to use green marketing and also the opportunities that come along with it. He expands on the issues that firms may face and certain actions a business can go by in order to become and stay successful. Stanton, William J., and Charles Futrell. Fundamentals of Marketing. New York, 1987. This book gives a practical understanding of the basics of marketing. It explains how marketing works in the business world. The authors introduce the concept of green marketing and what they feel it is all about.