It’s everywhere, all the time: Talk of global warming and environmental protection fills the daily news—and for good reason. Why wouldn’t we fight to protect the planet we live on? The public’s concern grows greater every day, combated by those who believe it’s just a fallacy. The trend is due to many cultural factors like vegan lifestyle increases, Sir David Attenborough’s nature documentaries, ocean and forest clean ups, etc. Because of this, brands are stepping up and aligning themselves with the mindset of their consumers.

This brings us to Green Marketing. Look it up and you’ll find that Green Marketing is defined as, “The marketing of environmentally-friendly products and services.” Pretty straight-forward right? It’s basically using keywords like “organic,” “eco-friendly,” and “sustainable” to illustrate how your company has shifted their practices/goods to better serve the environment. Going Green can be expensive, but don’t knock it just yet! Green Marketing can profitable due to the increasing trend of consumers being more “green conscious.” For most, the environmental profit outweighs the price.

But… How?

Need a few examples? Here are a few brands that work hard to back the green initiative:

Lush

This cosmetics company has never been quiet about their support for animal and environmental rights, as well as grassroots activism. In early 2019, the company announced they would be removing all eggs from their products to make them vegan. They also encourage recycling and ask patrons to exchange empty packaging in their stores for a free face mask of their choice.

Starbucks

This worldwide coffee company eliminated all plastic straws in 2020 and pledged to open 10,000 environmentally-friendly stores by 2025. They also plan to reduce waste and use 30% less water and 25% less power during production as part of their Green Store initiative. Starbucks brings sustainability to customers by using green materials for producing, packaging, and delivering products.

IKEA

Ikea not only serves up meatballs, but sustainability! This homeware giant was one of the first to completely eliminate straws from their bistros and restaurants. Ninety percent of their buildings have solar panels, they’ve planted millions of trees, and developed a sustainability strategy called People & Planet Positive. This initiative encourages consumers to be environmentally-conscious, while manufacturing products through eco-friendly practices.

Coca-Cola

The Coca-Cola Company created the amazing PlantBottle campaign. Not only does it help empower female entrepreneurs and help conserve water worldwide, but also promotes a healthier lifestyle. This iconic soda brand pledged to make 100% of their packaging recyclable globally by 2025 and use at least 50% of recycled material in packaging by 2030.

Ok, I Want In

Sounds like a pretty cool way to save the planet and align with your consumers at the same time. Here are a few steps you can take to create eco-friendly marketing content, and help your business become more sustainable:

• Target your local community
• Use eco-friendly product packaging
• Adjust power sources to be more sustainable
• Create valuable educational content
• Provide data about your initiative
• Communicate your green message through advertising (digital, TV, radio)
• Promote green aspects of your company through content assets at all points of customer contact
• Initiate market research and visualize the results to educate consumers
• Recommend green improvements to your niche
• Partner with like-minded businesses for cross-promotion
• Support eco-friendly programs and corresponding community initiatives
• Focus on green production

Mother Earth Thanks You

Now more than ever, it’s important to push out relevant marketing when your brand can speak to certain issues. Your audience will notice if you are silent. Adopt Green Marketing and show Mother Earth you care.