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July 11, 2023

Westminster MSc shows how marketing and sustainability work to face global business challenges

University of WestminsterMarketing sits at the heart of brand, communications, stakeholder relationships and product development. Marketers are significant actors in promoting and driving sustainability whether it’s within their own organisations, their customers or the wider world.

As marketers, we are acutely aware that we are a key part of the problem; products and services expertly designed and communicated inevitably consume resources and produce waste. Moreover, there is the notion that companies use sustainability as a smokescreen for irresponsible behaviour and given names such as ‘greenwashing’, ‘purposewashing’ or even ‘wokewashing’ that suggest marketing action is misleadingly reported and overhyped.

It’s time for significant change in marketing. To leave behind the short-term thinking of conventional marketing and embrace a long-term vision of the future with sustainability marketing.

The importance of conscious consumerism

Consumers are increasingly more conscious with their purchasing decisions and the organisations they engage with. Between 2016 and 2021, Google searches for sustainable goods increased by 71% with customers willing to pay more for socially conscious products and services. The journey towards ethical consumption is a joint one between consumers and companies reinforcing positive behaviours. As responsible business practices become more widespread conscious consumerism becomes easier.

Marketing as part of the solution

Sustainability and marketing are something of a contradiction since marketing encourages consumption and it’s over-consumption that contributes to the problems in the first place. It might be difficult to perceive how marketing can now achieve the opposite. However, there are many good reasons to believe marketing can form part of the solution. Firstly, marketers can act as sustainability change agents working from the inside out within their companies and engage in collaborative efforts towards sustainable development. Second, the pervasive nature of marketing means it is central to all aspects of modern life; from political parties and NGOs to charities and opinion leaders. Third, sustainability can only be achieved through change in consumption habits; marketing is ideally placed to achieve behavioural changes among the population and move them towards more sustainable consumption patterns and lifestyles.

Sustainability marketing: changing the game

Sustainability marketing can transform ecological and social problems into market issues and proactively enhance the ongoing processes towards sustainability. The broad understanding of sustainability marketing takes the relationship-building approach from the level of micro environment focusing on the customer, to the macro environment including public and political stakeholders. Marketing is no longer the ‘passive servant’ simply understanding and responding to the needs and requirements of the customer and marketing environment. Marketers now influence and shape the world around them, closing the gap between conventional marketing and sustainability thinking, making a vital contribution to the sustainability transformation.

Want to drive change for a more sustainable future? Learn more about our Sustainability Management and Innovation MSc.

Author: Yasmin Kulasi, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, Westminster Business School.

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Content added on 11th July 2023. 

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