This article discusses ‘what is eco-friendly marketing?’, a common question in today’s ethical consumer landscape. Eco-friendly marketing focuses on the environmental impact of products and services and the ecological effect of the marketing itself. I will share tips for eco-friendly marketing that focus on straightforward, honest messaging and practising what you preach.

What is eco-friendly marketing?: A definition

Eco-friendly marketing is a form of marketing that considers the environmental impact of goods and services offered. It aims to create a sustainable business model that benefits both the environment and the bottom line. This type of marketing can help reduce both the business’ and customers’ carbon footprint, save money, and build consumer trust.

The benefits of eco-friendly marketing are many and varied. The most obvious benefit is that it can help you reduce your carbon footprint. By considering the environmental impact of your marketing campaigns, you can make choices that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This is good for the environment and can help you save money by reducing energy consumption.

Another benefit of eco-friendly marketing is that it can help you build consumer trust. In today’s world, consumers are increasingly interested in sustainability. They want to know that the businesses they support are trying to minimise their impact on the planet. Finally, eco-friendly marketing can be a great way to save money. Many sustainable marketing strategies are also cost-effective. For example, online marketing is often more affordable than traditional marketing methods like print advertising. Plus, reducing energy usage by improving efficiency can reduce your overall energy build, which most businesses desperately need.

How to do eco-friendly marketing

To do eco-friendly marketing, you can consider your impact, provide transparent information and improve green marketing credentials. However, to do eco-friendly marketing successfully and honestly, you must also focus your efforts internally, starting from the business’s bottom line.

Consider your impact

To make eco-friendly marketing effective, you must understand and take ownership of your business’s impact on the planet. You can only use green marketing tactics when acknowledging how your services, products, and processes affect the environment. Whether it’s what materials are used, energy or water consumed, waste disposal, or even how you treat your staff or manufacturers, every aspect of your business will impact the planet.

A sustainability audit can be an excellent place to start for a business that is serious about improving its overall credentials. However, as my expertise is in marketing, here are some ways to measure your impact in the digital sphere.

How fast is your website? The slower your website (or app), the more energy is consumed.
Is your website easy to navigate? By reducing clicks, you save energy
Does your social, email or advert marketing use tactics that promote overconsumption? Resource waste is a significant contributor to greenhouse gases and climate change.

Provide Transparent Information

One of the critical messages of eco-friendly marketing is to tell the truth to consumers. Greenwashing uses false or suggestive information to show products and services in a ‘green’ light. To ensure your marketing doesn’t fall into the greenwashing territory, stick to the facts! Here are some simple rules to follow when advertising your products.

When describing products and services, provide full transparency on materials, manufacture and disposal. If there are places where you could improve, don’t be afraid to say so and show your plan for the future.
Avoid eco-sounding words if they don’t genuinely describe a product or suggest it is more eco-friendly than it is. Take the word ‘biodegradable’. It sounds good, like the materials will return to the earth, but it’s often misleading. Biodegradable means that microorganisms and the passage of time can disintegrate an item into its base elements. But this can apply to plastic as well as an apple core. Only use words you can 100% verify of your products and which benefit the planet.
Provide detailed information on how to dispose of products. This is something only a few companies consider, including green brands. You need to help customers make better choices, and you can only do that when you feel the entire life cycle of a product. If your packaging can’t be easily disposed of safely or recycled, maybe it’s time to rethink your product package.

Improve Green Marketing Credentials

Digital marketing can feel like a very green industry because there is no physical product to sell and, therefore, ‘no waste’. But, it’s essential to understand that digital marketing still significantly impacts the planet. The primary way in which this occurs is through energy usage. Every website click, every photo stored online and every extra line of code uses energy. So, with this in mind, let’s look at some key ways you can improve your green marketing credentials.

Improve the efficiency of your website and apps. Reducing code and streamlining functions can tremendously impact a site’s energy use.
Move your website hosting to a green provider that uses renewable energy sources and has efficient data centres. Recently in the news was a swimming pool in Devon that is now being heated by the extra heat created by servers in a data centre.
Choose to use other businesses that also are doing their bit. For example, choose software providers that also put eco-initiatives at the front of their work, are carbon neutral or are B-corps.
Make your internal processes as efficient as possible, reducing energy usage and time spent; it’s a no-brainer.
You are choosing digital-only communication and advertising to reduce paper consumption. However, traditional advertising has diminished significantly, so it could be time to switch if you still rely on paper ads.

Learn more about eco-friendly marketing.

Start From The Core Of Your Business

To ensure that green marketing is backed up, you must ensure your workplace puts what you preach into action. Sustainability in the workplace involves adopting practices that reduce the environmental impact of a business. There are many ways that a company can achieve sustainability in the workplace, and here are some examples:

Conservation

Implementing energy management to reduce consumption: Energy management can help a business to monitor and reduce its energy usage. This can be done by using energy-efficient lighting and equipment, optimising heating and cooling systems, and encouraging employees to turn off equipment when not in use.
Prioritising water conservation using recycling and reduction methods: Water conservation can be achieved by using low-flow faucets and toilets, reducing water usage in landscaping, and implementing water recycling and greywater systems.
Using innovative office technology to minimise utility use and identify areas for improvement: Smart office technology can help a business to reduce its energy and water consumption by monitoring usage and identifying areas for improvement. For example, using motion sensors to control lighting can help reduce energy usage, and smart thermostats can help optimise heating and cooling systems.

Waste

Reducing the amount of waste produced via recycling: Recycling can help to reduce the amount of waste produced by a business. Provide recycling bins throughout the workplace, encouraging employees to recycle. Partner with waste management companies that prioritise recycling.

Office Culture

Raising employee awareness of sustainable workplace practices in an office environment: Educating employees on sustainable practices can help to create a culture of sustainability in the workplace. For example, promoting recycling, encouraging public transportation or carpooling, and minimising paper usage.
Investing in office plants to promote air quality: Plants can help to improve indoor air quality by removing pollutants and increasing oxygen levels. Invest in indoor plants, create a green wall, or implement a rooftop garden.

These are just a few examples of how a business can achieve sustainability in the workplace. By adopting sustainable practices, a company can reduce its environmental impact, save money, and improve employee morale and productivity.

Middleton Marketing: Eco-friendly marketing and ethical advertising

Eco-friendly marketing is a great way to do business: it’s good for the environment, your bottom line, and building consumer trust. There are many ways to do eco-friendly marketing, so there’s no excuse not to start! If you are interested in an ethical and green marketing strategy, contact Middleton Marketing today. I offer sustainable consultancy for your digital marketing efforts.