As global temperatures rise and dystopian images of houses floating away flood our screens, proving that climate change exists beyond the neat graphs of a research paper, the call for action has never been louder. Despite scientists warning us about this moment since the late 1800s, carbon emissions continued to soar alongside climate change scepticism. We’ve reached a pivotal point, where all facts point to the urgent need to lower our emissions and preserve the fragile ecosystems we have left, it is now up to us to act. In the words of Sir David Attenborough, “Saving our planet is now a communications challenge. We know what to do, we just need the will.” Although marketing is associated with driving the consumerism and consequential environmental degradation we see today, it plays a critical role in reversing this damage. Sustainable marketing offers a powerful tool for catalysing the shift towards conscious consumerism.
To understand the role of marketing in driving positive change, we first need to look at its historical role in shaping consumer culture. We can trace the roots of modern consumerism back to the Industrial Revolution, as it ushered in an era of mass production. Advertising emerged in the late 19th to early 20th century, with the switch from informative to persuasive messaging. Consumerism was then catalysed across the industrialised world in the post-World War II economic boom. As historian William Leach writes in his 1993 book “Land of Desire”, “the cardinal features of this culture were acquisition and consumption as the means of achieving happiness; the cult of the new; the democratisation of desire; and money value as the predominant measure of all value in society”. A key observation being, that it was individual desire that was made accessible, not wealth.
Marketing strategies evolved to capitalise on these cultural shifts, using persuasion to drive demand for an ever-expanding availability of products and services. New marketing strategies like television advertising, market segmentation, and psychological techniques shaped buying habits on an unprecedented scale, as cultural norms increasingly tied consumption to social status and identity.
In addition, marketing helped fuel the rise of planned obsolescence, encouraging consumers to replace products with newer models before their lifespan had run out . This “throwaway culture” inevitably led to devastating environmental consequences, contributing to resource depletion, pollution and a mounting waste crisis. This was amplified by a growing population and the emergence of social media. It’s no wonder marketing gets a bad rap. However, the role it has played in shaping consumer behaviour demonstrates its ability to usher in a paradigm shift in how our society views consumerism. The strategies that have driven unsustainable consumption can now be leveraged to promote conscious consumerism.
Sustainable marketing represents a fundamental shift in approach – one that aligns business objectives with the well-being of people and the planet. Rather than simply driving sales and endless economic growth, sustainable marketing aims to shift the consumer mindset towards reducing our environmental impact, promoting long-term sustainability and a circular economy. It recognises that businesses have a responsibility not just to shareholders, but to society and the planet as a whole. Sustainable marketing harnesses the persuasive power of traditional marketing techniques but redirects them towards more positive ends.
As consumers, our wallets hold immense power. Through promoting socially and environmentally responsible products and services, sustainable marketing encourages buyers to invest in a sustainable future. In addition, making sustainable products more appealing to mainstream consumers can help increase the demand for sustainable products and services while driving sustainable innovation. Not only does this give power to businesses that are prioritising social and environmental well-being over profit, but it also takes it away from those that are choosing to ignore these responsibilities, or even worse, hiding behind greenwashing.
Sustainable marketing doesn’t just advocate for people to use their buying power for good, it invites consumers to rethink the rhetoric traditional marketing has shoved down our throats for so long. It encourages us to invest in socially and environmentally responsible products while making us question whether we need to buy more. Take Patagonia’s “Don’t Buy This Jacket” campaign for instance, launched on Black Friday in 2011, which used provocative storytelling to highlight overconsumption and promote more mindful purchasing.
As we have seen, marketing holds immense power in shaping cultural values and social norms. By highlighting the impact of the products we buy, sustainable marketers educate consumers and help foster a conscious consumer mindset in our society.
Sustainable marketers are master storytellers who work at the intersection of business and sustainability. If you pay attention, nature is communicating with us loud and clear that business as usual isn’t working anymore, if it ever did. Sustainable marketers act as translators between nature and consumers, crafting compelling narratives to tell nature’s story and inspire positive behavioural change. By simultaneously raising awareness and promoting environmental stewardship, sustainable marketers can give nature a voice that will be understood by the people with the power to make a change.
As the average global temperature gets hotter and nature’s alarm rings louder, sustainable marketing will likely become more central to business strategies. Marketers have a unique opportunity – and responsibility – to be at the forefront of the fight against climate change. By redirecting our strategies towards promoting sustainability, we can play a pivotal role in shaping a more environmentally conscious society. Sustainable marketing is not just about selling eco-friendly products and strategically placing sustainability buzzwords on recyclable packaging. It’s about fundamentally rethinking how we create value for consumers and society. By harnessing the power of sustainable marketing, we can transform the nature of consumerism – from a force that depletes our planet’s resources, to one that regenerates and protects them.