Sustainable Business Premier Group
Green marketing
Green marketing,
some “dos” and “don’ts”
Charles Burt
The Olive Consultancy
21st April 2009

Key issues
• What is green marketing?
Green marketing
• Why do it?
• What matters to your customers?
• What works
• Emerging drivers
• What doesn’t work
• Where to get more help

Green marketing Why do green marketing?
• It addresses a need
• It tells a story
• It adds value
• It creates competitive advantage

Green marketing It addresses a need…
“SABMiller to cut water use by a quarter”
SABMiller, one of the world's leading brewers, today
announces a major new commitment to reduce water
consumption across its global operations.
The group has set itself the demanding target of reducing
water use per litre of beer by 25% by 2015. This initiative
will save around 20 billion litres of water every year by
2015 - enough to fill eight thousand Olympic-sized
swimming pools.
By 2015 SABMiller aims to reduce its water consumption
to an average of 3.5 litres used to make a litre of beer. In
2008 this figure was 4.6 litres; the industry average is 5
litres.

Green marketing It tells a story….

Green marketing You can put numbers on it!
Source: Carbon Trust, Brand value at risk from Climate Change (2004)

Green marketing Some examples:

What matters to your customers?
• Assurance
Green marketing
• Risk management
• Compliance
• Skills
• Do you know how?
• Shared values
• Data
• Relevant
• Honest
• Verifiable – e.g. EMS
• Cost control
• Supply chain pressures
• Competitive advantage

Some emerging drivers
• Legislation
Green marketing
• “Sustainable procurement”
• See “Procuring the Future”
• The “Flexible Framework”
• Pre-qualification questionnaires (PQQs)
• Carbon footprinting
• Waste minimisation
• “Whole life” costing
• EMS (e.g. ISO14001:2004)
• Marketing opportunities
• Differentiation
• Segmentation
• Fragmentation

What works?
• Does it add value?
Green marketing
• Assurance
• Message
• Is it relevant?
• Is it measurable?
• Is it material?
• Does it differentiate?
• Is it “worth it”?
• Can you prove it?

What doesn’t work?
• Recognisable?
Green marketing
Own brand Eco-labels???
• Honest?
• Verifiable?
• Relevant?
or “greenwash”?
“Philips Launches Green Logo”

What you need to do:
• Assess customer demands
• Public or Private sector?
Green marketing
• Retail?
• Wholesale?
• Relate to legislation and policy
• E.g. Waste:
• Electrical - WEEE & RoHS, Packaging, Batteries, Vehicles
• Landfill taxes etc.
• Energy:
• EU Energy Efficiency, UK Energy White Paper
• Carbon:
• EUETS, CRC, CSH, EPCs, DECs
• Look for opportunities!

The choices:
Greenwash – We recycle paper and care for the
planet OK!? – now where are my cheap flight
Green marketing
tickets & the keys to my new Porsche Cayenne?
Burden – More ****** red tape! Its not in the
contract. Its not my problem. What’s the point?
I believe Channel 4’s “The Great Climate
Swindle programme.”
Opportunity – Innovation, differentiation,
improved risk management, new solutions,
competitive advantage, improved access to
market, enhanced brand value etc.
Bring it on! Where do we start?

The 7 sins of greenwashing!
1. Trade off – distraction from the real
Green marketing
issues e.g. “0% parabens” (but still
contains carcinogens)
2. No proof – not verifiable
3. Vagueness – e.g. “All natural” (could
still be toxic, mutagenic etc!)
4. Irrelevance – e.g. “CFC free” (CFCs are
now illegal!)
5. Distracting – e.g. “fuel efficient SUV”
6. False claims – e.g. “certified by…”
7. False labels – fictitious “green” badging
Source: TerraChoice www.sinsofgreenwashing.org

Where to get more help?
• Business Link – Sales & Marketing
http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/layer?topicId=1073861169&site=210
Green marketing
• The Olive Consultancy Ltd
www.consultolive.com
• Greenhouse Graphics
www.greenhousegraphics.co.uk
• Chartered Institute of Marketing
www.cim.co.uk
• Green claims guidance (DEFRA)
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/consumerprod/pdf/genericguide.pdf
• Green claims code (DEFRA)
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/consumerprod/gcc/pdf/gcc.pdf
• Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) Put “environmental claims” in the search
www.cap.org.uk
• Greener shopping guidance (Direct.gov)
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Environmentandgreenerliving/Greenershopping/index.htm
• Choosing “green” companies
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Environmentandgreenerliving/Greenershopping/DG_069882
• Business Protection Misleading Marketing Regulations 2008
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2008/pdf/uksi_20081276_en.pdf
• The Sustainable Business Partnership
www.the-sbp.co.uk
• Envirowise – Free business information & support on environmental issues
www.envirowise.gov.uk
• The Carbon Trust – Free business information on Carbon Footprint and energy
efficiency
www.carbontrust.co.uk

Green marketing
Thank you for listening
Any questions?
Charles Burt
The Olive Consultancy
www.consultolive.com
02380 111440