When businesses in the UK realised that being seen as “green” could increase their customer base, many of them began to review their effects on the environment to promote sustainability. To draw in buyers, these companies had to show what measures they were taking to become more eco-friendly. This marked the start of green marketing, and its popularity has been on the rise ever since.
When studying the impact of green marketing, the first noticeable element is that it is now part of a virtuous circle. Indeed, its existence is due to the fact that consumers started looking more closely at companies’ sustainability. Placed under the microscope, it launched a series of reactions that led to a green revolution in all industry sectors. Naturally, such a transformation came at a cost and companies always look to gain from any investment they make. To regain what they had lost, they launched green marketing campaigns to advertise how environmentally friendly they had become, with the clear objective of a) not losing customers and b) attracting consumers who valued sustainability overall.
As green marketing campaigns became more popular, a larger public grew more aware of the importance of environmental sustainability, regarding the products and the services that they acquired. They began looking-up companies online to learn about their pro-environmental actions and their sustainability. That is the moment when the virtuous circle was created and it has been growing ever since, in terms of the number of companies taking action as well as individuals modifying their buying habits by searching for greener companies to buy from.
It is not so often that advertising brings a positive effect to society in general. However, it is the case in regards to green marketing. Over the years, it has helped reduce the negative impact of products and services on the environment. Through innovations aiming to create eco-friendly options to replace what was already available on the market, businesses were able to reduce waste and energy consumption, while minimising their environmental footprint. It first happened across sectors that were linked to environmental issues, such as energy, transportation, food and textiles, and then grew to all others, later on.
Today, all businesses are incentivised to invest in sustainable practices. This has led to the development of new technologies that are more efficient and environmentally responsible. It also helped create new green jobs, especially in the renewable energy sector. Not only did it create job opportunities, but it also helped to transition workers away from traditional energy sectors that have significant environmental impacts, so they would not be unemployed afterwards. However, it is important to note that green marketing still needs to be supervised as standards are still unclear. It makes it difficult to judge the reality behind a company that declares itself environmentally friendly, especially in comparison to another in the same industry sector. But regulations by governments in many countries are helping to define the path ahead and to simplify consumers choice in regards to sustainable products.
In the UK, green marketing has clearly changed the way people choose the products they consume. Here are a few examples that illustrate the fact.
The first example we can put forth is the rise of eco-friendly packaging, which took place in supermarkets. In some cases, the solution was rather easy, such as the introduction of compostable fruit and vegetable bags at Waitrose. But there were also other projects to change consuming habits of the public that took courage. That was the case when Tesco launched a refillable container scheme for household cleaning products, back in 2021, which asked consumers to do their part to create an environmentally friendly way of consuming. These days, eco-friendly packaging has certainly increased its presence immensely in the UK, which was helped by green marketing.
Green marketing has influenced a few industries more than others. That is the case with fashion, which is one of the largest polluters in the world. As the awareness of the public grew on the subject, it started to demand changes through concrete actions. Some brands heard the voices rising and decided to take a turn towards being more sustainable and ethical. It is the case for Stella McCartney which launched sustainable fashion collections that use eco-friendly materials and prioritise ethical production practices. On a more international level, brands like H&M (from Sweden) did the same. Such a direction was clearly taken with the thought of green marketing in mind.
The UK has made significant progress in increasing its renewable energy capacity over the past fifteen years. Solar and wind energy in the UK counted for 42% of the UK’s electricity in the first quarter of 2023. It is also worth looking at the reduction in the use of fossil fuels like gas and coal, which has reached an all-time low at 33%. Companies do their part by installing solar panels on their buildings and using the energy they provide or by proceeding to a complete energy renovation plan, in order to reduce the quantity that they consume yearly. But the growth of renewable energy has also been driven in part by government incentives and by consumer demand for eco-friendly energy sources, which enters into the realm of green marketing.
As this article clearly illustrates, green marketing has had a significant impact on the UK’s society by promoting environmentally responsible practices and increasing awareness about environmental sustainability issues. It has led to more sustainable practices across almost every sector and has provided new opportunities for businesses to innovate and invest in renewable energy sources. Thanks to green marketing, the future of the planet looks brighter.
