What Is Sustainability Marketing, and How Do Companies Apply It?

Since many consumers have indicated they will pay more for or prefer to buy eco-friendly products, there has been an increase in companies either offering new items that cater to the market or redesigning things to catch the attention of that group. This trend has caused a significant upswing in sustainability marketing and how companies show they participate. However, green marketing is only sometimes legitimate and sometimes revealed to be little more than a ploy for attention.

What Is Sustainability Marketing?

Sustainability marketing encompasses a broad category, but a good general definition for it is any activity that draws attention to that aspect of a company. Perhaps a company now uses 100% recycled packaging or makes its items in a plant that runs on renewable energy. If it highlights those things, the business is engaging in sustainability marketing. 

Of course, some efforts are even more coordinated and visible, complete with billboards and memorable TV ads. Just as marketing teams have many choices regarding how they promote their sustainability marketing efforts, they can take many directions concerning their sustainability focus and reach. 

What Are Some of the Most Common Types of Sustainability Marketing? 

Sustainability marketing falls into several main types, all of which usually involve some favorable change: New sustainable products, changes to existing products, changes to the packaging, changes in the production method or facility and changes made to support external sustainable causes. Here are some examples of each.

New Sustainable Products

One of the reasons why there are so many opportunities for companies to embrace sustainability marketing is that so many items currently on the market are harmful to the planet. So, a way to address that is to make a new product that tackles a known problem. 

Consider a sunscreen that can boost healthy coral reef growth by as much as 8%, representing a major improvement over the formulas containing chemicals known to harm reefs. The product also has a catchy name — Reef Relief — that is understandably likely to grab people’s attention as they browse shelves looking for products before heading to the beach. 

Another thing that makes this product stand out is its scientifically validated reef protection factor. Although many people already know about the sun protection factor and look for specific ratings while shopping, the reef protection factor shows how the product safeguards habitats. 

Changes to Existing Products

Some companies pursue product-related changes for sustainability marketing. Apple is an excellent example due to its efforts to use progressively more recycled materials in its popular phones, tablets, and computers. The company has expanded its use of 100% certified recycled cobalt in batteries, aiming to rely on it for all those power sources by 2025. 

Apple also uses various high-tech methods — including robots — to increase the quantities of discarded materials it can reuse from products such as discarded iPhones. If the company can repurpose materials it takes from old items, it simultaneously ramps up its participation in the circular economy and eases supply chain stresses. 

Changes to the Packaging 

As people become more aware of the massive amounts of waste generated through the things they regularly buy, many have a heightened interest in alternatives that appear kinder to the environment. This reality has opened numerous green marketing opportunities, although some are not necessarily the improvements that they initially seem. 

One example came when McDonald’s switched its packaging from plastic straws to paper ones. That sounds like a good idea, particularly due to the growing evidence that plastic waste harms people and the planet. However, in this case, the paper was too thick for recycling plant processing, showing the fast-food company’s lack of research before the change. 

Another popular option is for companies to change the packaging so it includes a higher percentage of recycled material. That is a particularly popular option for items such as plastic cups or cardboard boxes. 

Changes in the Production Method or Facility

Sometimes, sustainability marketing begins at the factory level. In those cases, it is more common for companies to promote business-wide changes rather than those affecting single products. Leaders may install connected sensors to monitor and reduce water consumption during manufacturing. Alternatively, they may install solar panels on a factory’s roof, becoming either partially or fully reliant on them for electricity. 

Sometimes, decision-makers select specific facilities as showcases for what’s possible. One example is from a California Frito-Lay snack factory. It became the first of the brand’s locations to use alternative fuel vehicles across the site. Additionally, that plant has electric vehicle chargers for employees and renewable energy generation and storage infrastructure.

Changes Made to Support External Causes 

Some sustainability marketing efforts expect other organizations to do the heavy lifting. And that’s often okay because those groups have the resources and expertise to get the best outcomes. One of the most common options is for companies to partner with charities and arrange to donate certain percentages of each product sold to them. 

That solution allows eco-conscious companies to give back and have positive impacts even if their representatives have not yet created the internal connections that make such results possible. That is the case for Hikerdelic, which sells clothing and accessories to outdoor-minded shoppers. The company has partnered with an external organization to plant a tree for every order placed. 

Doing Sustainability Marketing Well

Many people have friends who give them dubious looks at any mention of green marketing. That’s understandable since so many such efforts seem propped up by more fluff and glowing words than good intentions. 

However, there are also plenty of ways to focus on sustainability marketing to truly make a difference to more than the bottom line. One of the best ways is to slowly and thoroughly investigate all options to learn which ones will do the most good while remaining within the company’s budget, timeline, and other particulars.

Learning from people who are already familiar with and working within certain sustainability causes is also crucial. Those individuals will know about the pros and cons of specific options — and may have already tried some of them. 

Finally, company representatives should choose metrics to track to determine whether they are on the right track for meeting sustainability goals or need to make further adjustments. A data-driven approach ensures they use their resources wisely. 

Consumers can also keep sustainability marketing efforts accountable by looking deeper into the news they hear. Rather than just accepting that a product now comes in 100% recycled packaging or gets produced in a factory wholly dependent on renewable energy, they should learn more about those changes to see if there are any downsides not mentioned in press releases. 

Thinking more critically about what the media coverage says will show marketers that shoppers will not automatically believe everything they read, emphasizing that they must steer clear of inauthentic methods.