Ready to become greener in your company? Awesome!
With consumers making greener choices., many companies are looking at how they can change the way they do things in-house. We can investigate sustainable marketing examples to see how businesses are following this trend by investigating sustainable marketing examples.
You’ll get the inside scope of sustainable marketing in this article, as well as some top brands currently working toward sustainable change. We’ve also included some lesser-known green marketing examples, so buckle up as we start our green adventure.
Take a look at these sustainable marketing examples to see how it’s done!
What is sustainable marketing?
Sustainability and green are two different concepts.
Sustainability is about the longevity of the product/service. It is about examining a product’s lifecycle from beginning to end and whether it is sustainable for the environment, the public, and the future.
On the other hand, being green is focused only on its environmental aspect. A product can be green, but not necessarily sustainable.
Sustainable marketing involves showcasing a business’s sustainable efforts. This gives the public insight into the company’s commitment to social and environmental impact.
The movement is summarized by Ballantine and Kemper in 2019, where they outline the three levels of engagement:
- Doing less bad: The first level focuses on reducing what is considered the “bar” for the product. This could involve improving working conditions during production or lowering the emission of the product’s use. It is also all internally focused and doesn’t involve the consumer.
- Doing more good: The second level examines consumption, how the product is used, and promoting sustainable lifestyles with consumers. Consumers could consider sharing the product, like RentTheRunway, or the business could do an educational push instead of a sales push.
- Doing different: The last level is about making a change in the industry and promoting all systems that need to be changed.
8 sustainable marketing examples
If you are looking for inspiration for marketing your sustainable or green products, then take a look at these top brands. They are leading the way in green marketing, making tomorrow a better place, one campaign at a time!
1. WebFX
WebFX strives for several sustainable initiatives. One of them is the GreenFX program, which ensures our offices stay greener by decreasing our carbon footprint. We achieve this through solar panels and by preserving resources.
We also involve everyone through workplace initiatives to encourage our employees to become leaders and do what they can to promote the green movement. Through our leadership and leading by example, these turn into tangible improvements.
We also partner with others, such as the Ocean Cleanup and Stand for Trees, to support the preservation of natural resources.
2. Interface
Interface offers a wide range of carpet types ideal for commercial and residential settings. Their carpets are durable, come in different colors and textures, and, most importantly, are carbon-negative or recycled.
The whole process, from creating the raw material to the packaging, has been thought through. Since 1994, Interface has been working on how it can make a difference and become the industry’s lowest-carbon footprint generator.
Today they have created three products that are completely carbon-negative, from cradle to gate. While not carbon-negative, their other products are all sustainable and carbon-neutral.
3. Burt Bees
Lip gloss, balms, and nourishing lotion, all for the skin with sustainability in mind. Burt Bees has made it their goal to create environmentally friendly beauty products. Their key focuses include:
- Ingredients from nature (not the lab)
- No animal testing
- Responsible for sourcing raw materials
- Recycled packaging
- Landfill-free operations
4. Coca-Cola’s PlantBottle
Coca-Cola is a large corporate company that has made several sustainable efforts over the years. However, the one thing that affects many of its products is the effort to make their bottles more environmentally friendly.
Currently, they are running prototypes on bottles that will be 30% plant-based plastic and 100% recyclable, including the cap and label. They are looking to increase those numbers to 100% plant-based, but they are still working on it. Other areas they have gone sustainable include:
- The company has pledged to collect back the equivalent of every bottle it sells by 2030
- None of its packaging ends up as waste
- Old bottles are recycled into new ones to make 100% of its packaging recyclable;
- 50% of its packaging comes from recycled material.
5. TOMS Shoes
There are so many shoe phrases that I would love to use here, like making the planet greener, one step at a time, or I could walk 500 miles in [green] boots. I’ll reserve my dad jokes and rather tell you about the huge impact that Toms is making on people and the planet.
They have one shoe range, in particular, that is setting the sustainable standard in the shoe business — the Earthwise™. It is created from sustainable and recycled products, which they tell their clients and partners about through social media campaigns.
They have also partnered with another innovative business, Thredup. They encourage their clients to return the shoes they have worn, create new shoes, clothing, and accessories from the materials, and keep the product out of landfills.
6. Patagonia
Patagonia is pretty much on all green marketing example lists across the internet. They have been big grassroots activists and lead by example by donating their profits back to the planet. They also support environmental and social responsibility programs and encourage others to join in the movement.
7. Lacoste
While some companies make a splash about their sustainable report, hidden on the footer menu somewhere on their website, Lacosta did something completely disruptive. They changed their entire logo for the duration of the campaign.
Lacosta supports many sustainable programs, including environmental impact and local community support, but for a limited time, they focus on endangered species. They offered their customers ten polo designs, all created in the classical white, traditional Lacoste polo shirt we know, but instead of the well-known crocodile, they featured ten of the top endangered animals.
8. Starbucks
With most customers in the under-35 bracket, it is not surprising that Starbucks makes a big noise about sustainability and its climate-change commitments. They are changing the way we drink our coffee by switching out single-use cups to reusable packaging and expanding their menu to include more plant-based options.
Go greener with marketing strategies from WebFX
Do you want to tell the world about your green change and the sustainable difference your business is making? With our help, you can convey your environmental passion while promoting your goods and services to those who need them.
A successful green marketing strategy should have a clear and compelling story and a deep understanding of its goals. It should also provide products or services that meet sustainable objectives. With effective marketing and communication strategies, you can build a strong and emotional connection with your customers. If you’d like to discuss how WebFX can help you with your green marketing campaigns and share your sustainable business practices, get in touch at 888-601-5359.
Celeste has worked in the online marketing space for twenty years. She has written for sectors including tourism, sustainability, education, lifestyle, food, and marketing. You can find her work featured by Green Building Media South Africa, Stodels Gardening, and The Post House Hotel. In magazines, you may have seen her in The Cape Times, Oprah South Africa, and The Property Magazine. While you can find her writing up on the latest SEO trends and exploring digital techniques during the day, her love of story-telling carries on in enriched games and books after hours.
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