Use Green Marketing To Boost Your Business’s Brand Image

Julie Starr • May 25, 2020



As global warming slowly threatens the livelihood of the world;

‘Climate change encompasses not only rising average temperatures but also extreme weather events, shifting wildlife populations and habitats, rising seas , and a range of other impacts.’ – National Geographic

Indulging in consumerism with a clear conscience is something we all like to do. Shopping for items from companies who practice ethical social and environmental responsibility gives the purchaser a sense they’ve made a decent decision. On the other hand, businesses that use unethical trading, risk the extinction of animals, and contribute extensively to global warming are viewed unfavorably more today than ever before. For companies eager to demonstrate to customers their moral stance in supporting the planet, green marketing has vast benefits for business.

What is Green Marketing?

Green marketing involves weaving a company’s eco-friendly efforts into its social media marketing campaigns and advertising strategy. In a bid to demonstrate a business’s core values, enhance its image, and attract and retain customers who are conscious about their impact on the world. 

“Sustainability is not a goal to be reached, but a way of thinking, a way of being, a principle we must be guided by” — Giulio Bonazzi – Chairman, Aquafil Group.

The degree of a business’s persistence to change its existing practices in an attempt for a greener future and a healthier planet is, apart from laws and regulations that govern expectations, up to the individual business. For instance, below is a breakdown of a range of levels enterprises are willing to work towards to demonstrate their consideration of the environment. Take a look below to see what section applies to your company and whether you can improve this.

  1. Adhere solely to applicable laws, regulations, and policies that protect and preserve the environment.
  2. Ecological measures are created based on the activities of competitors. Businesses will only attempt to edge past their competitor’s eco-friendly commitments. 
  3. The business focuses on development and production inside the company to determine areas they can transition to green.
  4. An environmentally friendly strategy is devised based on proven methods used to improve sustainability in business , coupled with innovating new solutions designed by the company. 

The Green Marketing Mix

Once you’ve distinguished which eco-friendly position your business is in and what you want to strive towards, you may want to review the green marketing mix below. In this section, you can view how eco-friendliness is applied in business and decipher what environmentally-friendly goals you would like to implement. 

  • Product: The product should consist of organic and environmentally friendly elements. For example, toiletry products that only contain biodegradable ingredients. Equally, your product could preserve nature or remedy existing environmental damage. 
  • Price: If the cost of producing your product rises as a result of your company embracing eco-friendly methods, you may want to alter the price tag of your goods to reflect this. Many consumers are often prepared to pay more for higher-paying products that are eco-friendly.
  • Distribution: Another significant factor that compromises the eco-friendliness of any service or product is the distribution chain. Transportation must be analyzed to determine its impact on the environment and solutions for this. For example, you may set a goal for all transport vehicles in your company to change to electric cars. Or you could source suppliers closer to your business to save on excessive energy consumption.
  • Promotion: When determining your company’s eco-friendliness, you need to think about how you reach your customers and communicate your message. As an example, you could consider reducing paper waste by halting flyer and poster advertisements. In place, you could opt for Facebook Ads Management , which uses precision target marketing to reach your intended audience in a way that doesn’t threaten the environment. Moreover, thinking about how you contact your existing customers is essential too. You could reduce letters in the post, and ask for customers to opt into receiving correspondence via email instead.

By assessing all areas of your business’s activities, you can determine what areas are feasible for you to incorporate sustainable changes. With eco-friendly goals in place, you can begin to shape your image to reflect your business’s green choices and inturn improve your company’s appeal and relationship with new and existing customers.

Companies Using Green Marketing

For examples of existing companies that are successful at green marketing, below Patagonia, Ikea and Unilever use different movements to demonstrate their aims in protecting the world.

Patagonia 

‘From supporting youth fighting against oil drilling to suing the president, we take action on the most pressing environmental issues facing our world’ – Extract from Patagonia’s activism page .

Founded by two rock climbers, Patagonia is an outdoor clothing company that is conscious about taking care of the environment. Interestingly most of their products are made out of plastic. Still, Patagonia has made it known that they are working hard to challenge microplastic pollution when clothes enter a wash cycle. Not only this, but Patagonia also donates 1% of their yearly earnings to environmental groups, is a part of the Go Green movement, and embeds their green marketing strategy into their company mission. 

Ikea

Another business pioneering with a green image is Ikea, who sources half of its wood from sustainable growers, and all of its cotton from Better Cotton standard-meeting suppliers. Moreover, ninety percent of Ikea stores have installed hundreds of thousands of solar panels. Ikea has also announced plans to be powered by renewables in the near future. Plus, Ikea uses eco-friendly practices to manufacture products, and their strategy, referred to as People & Planet Positive, encourages consumers to think about the environment before purchasing, to only buy what they need.

Unilever

Sustainability is part and parcel with Unilever’s corporate identity. Unilever has its own Sustainable Living Plan that outlines goals for sourcing and production of water and energy. The plan also incorporates social responsibility for how they treat the suppliers and the communities surrounding them. In 2010 CEO Paul Polman announced he wanted to double Unilever’s business while decreasing his company’s environmental impact by half within one decade, and the company has made incredible progress. For instance, three-quarters of Unilever’s nonhazardous water doesn’t enter the landfill sites. And, they have tripled their share of using agricultural supplies that use environmentally friendly practices too. In 2015, the United Nations awarded the CEO with the Champion of the Earth Award for the strides he made in reaching his eco-friendly goals.

The above features a few companies with their green efforts and achievements to create a more sustainable business. Hopefully, it has provided you some inspiration and ideas to begin your own green marketing plan of action.

“Plans to protect air and water, wilderness and wildlife are plans to protect man.” – Stewart Udall

Eco-Friendliness Benefits Business

Also, it’s important to note, the positive aspects of operating an eco-friendly business stretch beyond winning new customers. An environmentally friendly business is proven to provide financial and efficiency advantages too. For instance;

  • Businesses can save money by using water-saving devices, energy-efficient equipment, reduced waste, and energy conservation. 
  • There is growing consumer demand for greener products , and an opportunity for businesses to gain business with an eco-friendly angle.
  • Customers are happy to pay more for environmentally friendly goods.

As an example of consumers’ desire and commitment to purchase greener items, The Nielsen global online survey identified 66 percent of its worldwide study respondents who were dedicated to buying eco-friendly services and products. Here are some of the factors which swayed a consumers purchasing decision:

  • Products created with natural, organic, and fresh ingredients
  • An environmentally friendly business brand image
  • A company recognized for its social responsibility
  • Greener packaging
  • Marketing that demonstrated a brands correlation with environmental and social benefits

From the information gathered, it’s clear a business’s aim to protect the environment and its subsequent green marketing strategy from presenting this effort shall increase its success with consumers.

Create A Better Business

A business owner’s mission to begin creating a more sustainable business also means they are trying to provide a safer, healthier planet for everyone and themselves to reside. Whether across social media or featured in the news, marketing your company’s steps towards sustainability sends a compelling message to your employees, your competitors, and customers about your brand. It tells consumers your company cares about the world we live in and will use its voice and sway within the business sphere from the materials you use for products to supporting employees to work remotely to promote greener ways in the workplace. Which, in turn, shall attract those who are equally concerned about the impact we are all having on the planet. 

With more people becoming aware of global warming’s impact on the plant, a gradual shift in consumers’ buying behavior puts pressure on companies to do right by the world and make eco-friendly decisions in a bid to play their part in saving the planet. 

And so, before you consider what greener practices can do for your business, it’s essential to think about what you can do for the planet – only then will you make a real difference to the world and a real impact on how consumers perceive your company.

“Being a good human being is good business.”  — Paul Hawken, environmentalist, entrepreneur, and writer

5 Simple Ways to Make Your Online Business More Sustainable

By Julie Starr • August 9, 2025
Running an online business can feel like a constant balancing act. You’re trying to grow, keep customers happy, and still have time for yourself. The trick to making it all work long-term is to build habits and systems that last. You don’t need a complicated plan or endless resources to do it either. Here are five straightforward ways to make your business more sustainable without overcomplicating things. Focus on long-term customer relationships If you want your business to last, you need customers who keep coming back. That doesn’t just happen because you’ve got a good product or service. It’s about making people feel valued every time they interact with you. Simple things like remembering their name, following up after a purchase, or sending a quick thank-you email can make a huge difference. People are far more likely to support a business they feel connected to, so keep those relationships personal and genuine rather than purely transactional. Make your marketing work smarter A big part of sustainability is making sure your marketing isn’t draining your time or money. You want it to be efficient and get results. This is where working with seo consultants can help. They know how to make sure people can find your business online without you throwing cash at random ads. Even if you can’t hire someone right now, you can start by focusing on keywords, improving your website’s loading speed, and posting valuable content that answers the questions your customers are already asking. Streamline your products or services It’s tempting to try to offer everything to everyone, but that’s rarely a good idea. The more you offer, the more time, money, and resources you’ll end up using. Instead, focus on the things you do best and make them as good as they can be. When you streamline what you’re selling, you can put all your energy into perfecting it, which makes it easier to maintain quality over time. Customers notice when you consistently deliver something great, and they’ll trust you more for it. Keep an eye on your finances No matter how much you enjoy the creative or customer side of your business, the numbers are what will keep you going long-term. That means knowing what’s coming in, what’s going out, and where you can cut costs without cutting quality. Set yourself a monthly check-in to look at your spending and profits. If you spot something that’s not working financially, don’t leave it for months, hoping it will improve. Tackle it early and you’ll avoid bigger problems down the road. Look after yourself You can’t run a sustainable business if you’re running yourself into the ground. Burnout isn’t just bad for you, it’s bad for your customers and your bottom line. Make sure you’re setting boundaries, taking breaks, and switching off when you can. That might mean scheduling a full day without work every week or turning your phone off after a certain time. The more balanced you are, the better decisions you’ll make, and the easier it will be to keep your business moving forward without constantly feeling like you’re in survival mode. Sustainability in business isn’t about doing one big thing; it’s about making intelligent, consistent choices that build over time. Start small, keep checking in on your progress, and before you know it, your business will feel a lot steadier and more future-proof than it did before.

Sustainable Choices That Heavy Industry Businesses Can Easily Make

By Julie Starr • August 8, 2025
Are you hoping to build a heavy industry business? It’s the kind of company that can have globally sweeping positive and negative effects. On the one hand, you’re contributing to the industry, ensuring there’s enough supply to meet demand, and you can do your best to operate in a sustainable way that prioritizes the environment. But on the other hand, the heavy industry has long been the most significant business polluter in the world. Despite advancements in industry technology and usage, their ranking relative to other sectors, such as food and beverage , and shipping and logistics, has remained unchanged as of 2025. Requiring extensive use of large, heavy, and expensive machinery, the fumes produced by heavy-duty factories in sectors like mining, aerospace, nautical, and metal production regularly cause harm to both human and animal life. It’s why anyone interested in investing or scaling within an industry like this needs to focus on their company’s carbon footprint. There are various ways to ensure you’re limiting your harmful output and waste, and you’ll want to use as many as possible within your operation. Check out our recommendations below. Work with Green Suppliers No matter what stage you sit at in the hypothetical supply chain, you’re likely to source at least part of your overall production material from a supplier. If that’s not the case, you’ll still need to work with companies that provide machinery and equipment, as well as replacement parts for these industrial items. All in all, to make as sustainable a choice as possible, you’ll want to commit to working with a ‘green’ supplier who makes eco-conscious choices at every step. Eco-friendly suppliers will strive to both implement sustainable practices within their production line, as well as provide sustainably made and/or extracted materials. The products and/or parts they send out are likely to be recyclable when they reach their end-of-life period, or they’ll run a scheme where you can send old or broken parts back to them. Offset Your Carbon Emissions Offsetting carbon emissions converts the waste output from your operations into something more positive. If you’re interested in programs like this , you can use official government platforms or climate charity websites to contribute. You’ll be able to find a variety of projects that have been undertaken to remove CO2 from the atmosphere, and they’ll be located in various regions across the world. You can choose to patronise as many of them as you wish, but if you want to focus on specific types, you’ll also be able to do so. When approaching a program like this, it’s usually best to offset month by month, as this helps you stay on top of your carbon footprint. Be sure to invest in as much carbon removal per tonne as your business has potentially contributed to the atmosphere in the last month. But before you go any further, there’s one thing you need to keep in mind here: Carbon offsetting is just one sustainable practice you can turn to, but it’s not the only one your business will ever need to use. Yes, it’s one of the most sustainable practices a heavy industry business can invest in. But that’s only true when it’s partnered with real-time carbon-lowering efficiencies within day-to-day operations. Repair, Rather Than Throw Away Repairing is the best option if a repair is possible. This should be the first step when evaluating old or broken-down equipment. If it can be salvaged, it should be. Otherwise, you’ll have to replace the equipment in question. Not only is that expensive, but it also means more waste to manage. And not all heavy industry tech can be recycled. Sometimes it’s potentially hazardous and needs to be disposed of carefully, and this could have harsh impacts on the surrounding environment. Repairing is your best bet, at least 80% of the time. You can get back up and running faster, and you don’t need to account for a large investment at short notice. And more equipment can be repaired than you might think. It’s not just small, singular parts that can be pulled out. Entire internal systems in even large vehicles, such as freighter ships, can be replaced by secondary parts. A marine logistics provider or deep-sea fishing operator would save a lot of money just by ordering a Cummins Rebuild Kit for one of their vessels. Deciding to put the ship out of commission and eventually scrapping it will contribute to the large-scale waste common in companies like this. Aiming to repair and limit environmental damage will get that same boat back onto the waters in seaworthy condition. Operate with Lower Emission Logistics Shipping your products to businesses and markets always generates a carbon footprint. Unless you’re operating only within the local area and you’re able to transport products back and forth on foot, this is an unavoidable issue. And seeing as you’re a heavy industry business, that’s not very likely. But some shipping options are better than others. Indeed, there are low-emission choices to be made, and you’ll want to look into these logistic partners only. You’ll likely find that air travel is a total no-go zone. Alternatives to this are long-haul road transportation or a traditional shipping company that operates via sea. Yes, even trucking your products over land generates a lot less carbon waste that can damage the environment than flying something! Staying Green as a Heavy Industry Player Working sustainably within the heavy industry is a career-long project. You’ll need to continually make moves to consider what could be streamlined into something greener and less consuming next. In the end, this can help your long-term costs decrease and stay low. Fewer risky investments, fewer fees from environmental bodies, and more productive time within your business. So, it’s not going to be easy, but it will be worth it