Green Marketing, an Oxymoron or a Tool for Communicating Shared Value?

If communications have the power to shape hearts and minds, then why is it so challenging to bring together collective action for shared prosperity? Science shows that when someone tells a story, neurons fire in your brain which activate emotions as the brain literally becomes in sync with the storyteller (McFalls).  

Then why isn’t humanity on the same wavelength to create change when we are flooded with anxiety-inducing reports such as extreme heat waves and floods exacerbated by climate change? 

You would think that climate narratives illustrating the power of action from the local to the national level would connect with more people and persuade them to fight the climate crisis. Yet, scientists and climate activists alike are still faced with having to convince people to “give a forage” (for my fellow environmentalists) and join the sustainability club where we’re working hard towards a future for all by advancing science-based climate solutions and strategies. 

It’s easy to feel discouraged when the sustainability narrative has become convoluted with media hits like the climate hoax and the environmental, social and governance (ESG) backlash. In an age where we are inundated with information and click bait news, how do you grab the public’s attention and create a call-to-action? (I think climate change needs a new public relations (PR) manager). 

How can this be achieved? Let’s do a marketing 101 breakdown through the lens of a sustainability professional. 

• Green marketing is the promotion of brands and products based on their perceived level of environmental sustainability (Emeritus). 
• Sustainability marketing builds on the above strategy by taking social and environmental impact into account through a more expansive look at how companies are promoting brands based on their level of ESG sustainability (Murphy). 
• Purpose-driven marketing has emerged as a tactic for organizations to anchor external communications efforts around social cause(s) that align with their core values (Charles). 

How Do You Foster a Shared Purpose?  

Integrating marketing with shared value, creating economic value while addressing societal issues, can help companies generate value for customers and throughout their supply chain by appealing to the principles and causes that a company cares about (Srivastava et al.) In this case, purpose is the fuel driving the company car (electric and energy efficient, of course) on the road to sustainability as a force for good (Aziz). 

The idea is that we can move from shareholder-driven capitalism where only the needs of investors are prioritized to a stakeholder-driven model where multiple stakeholders from consumers, employees, investors, communities, and the planet’s needs are considered. 

While that all sounds great, I find marketing paradoxical in advocating for more “sustainable consumption” as the world is seemingly falling apart—climate refugees are being forced to migrate from their homes, wildfires are increasingly getting worse and spreading, landfills are overflowing with mountains of fast fashion and other waste (can you sense my climate anxiety?). And yet, I see ads on how to be an eco-influencer or a “sustainable baddie” with the latest and greatest stainless-steel tumbler (I have collected a small family of vacuum insulated reusable water bottles, how many more do I need?). 

How can we justify buying more stuff, even if it’s marketed as being less harmful for the environment, when the unregulated fossil fuel industry driven by capitalism contributed to much of the environmental destruction that we’re witnessing today? 

Well, maybe we’re telling the wrong story.