Power of Green in Marketers’ Hands

September 15, 2008

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It’s not engineers, lawyers or legislators that have the most power to clean up the environment. Instead, Jacquelyn A. Ottman writes in Marketing Daily that “the power of green lies in marketers.”

Ottman says over 75 percent of the impact that products have on the environment are determined at the design stage, a phase that marketers often have a say in.

Take a toothbrush for example. Ottman says its environmental impact can be reduced by making it out of recycled plastic and educating on how to recycle or compost it. Then cut down on its packaging by wrapping only the bristly head.

She writes that there are solutions in place to reduce products’ impact on the environment. But to really make a difference, mainstream consumers have to embrace it; that’s where marketers come in.

She cites examples of Toyota Prius, Energy Star label, and Herman Miller’s Mira Chair — products that are gaining traction with consumers and turning profits because marketers made these products seem cool.

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Reader Comments

I totally agree that the power lies with marketers, but those marketers must tap into the eco-priorities of mass consumers to really make a difference.

Kent Ragen | September 15th, 2008

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