SUSTAINABLE MARKETING AND GREENWASHING CHALLENGES

Abstract

Sustainable marketing is the practice of promoting products, services and brand

values, that are environmentally friendly, socially responsible and economically viable over the long

term. In order to be truly sustainable, a brand has to look beyond just “selling more stuff”. It focuses

on a “triple Bottom Line: Planet (environmental) – minimizing the carbon footprint, using

recyclable packaging and reducing waste; People (Social) – ensuring fair wages, safe working

conditions and supporting the communities where the business operates. Profit (Economic) –

creating a business model that stays profitable without exploiting resources or people so it can

survive for a long time.

Nowadays it is very important, because modern shoppers are actively voting with their

wallets. They want to buy form brands that comes in accordance with their values. Also, companies,

that ignore sustainability face “cancel culture”, legal regulations and resource scarcity. The last one

is the “Greenwashing” trap – authentic sustainable marketing is the antidote to greenwashing –

when a company spends more time claiming to be green than actually being green. Companies are

using words that sound official but have zero legal definition. If you see these terms without a

specific certification logo, they are often vibes – like Fair Trade or USDA Organic, All-natural, Eco-

Friendly, Green and etc. One more greenwashing method is – the color psychology – when brands

suddenly switch their packaging like sage green or clay brown. Different studies show that

consumers subconsciously associate the color green and imagery of leaves or water with

sustainability, even if the product inside is 100% synthetic. Another form of greenwashing is the

“Hidden Trade-Off” – which is the most common form of the greenwashing. In this case company

highlights one tiny “green” attribute and ignores a massive environmental problem and many other

greenwashing tricks (Mamuladze 2019).