Green Marketing: Conceptualizations, Managerial Practices, Challenges and Research Agenda

Abstract:

Green marketing has attracted some attention in recent times. The general interests in green marketing have been as a result of the increased concerns related to the inefficient use of resources, the poor management of wastes, the high use of fossil fuels, the increase in the emission of greenhouse gases, in addition to relevant pressures from consumers, clients, civil society organizations and governments, among others. Green marketing is an important strand of green business, which is concerned with reducing the impact of business practices on elements of the environment. It, specifically, focuses on reducing the   adverse impact of marketing practices on the environment via such traditional marketing activities as product designing, producing product, product packaging, product labelling, product promotion, product distribution, and consuming goods and services that are friendly to the environment. It entails certain broad marketing issues such as product planning, processing, production, promotion, distribution, in addition to protective interest in people, society and planet which are designed by an organization to show its objective of reducing the adverse effect on the environment of its marketing activities. This paper conceptualizes the green marketing construct, presents some of its practices and challenges, and suggests research direction (with a research instrument) for investigating the construct in different organizational and environmental settings.