Sustainable marketing through the natural step

Diane M. Martin

John W. Schouten

pp. 231-243

in: Richard Varey, Michael Pirson (eds), Humanistic marketing, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2014

Abstract

In recent years the ecological and humanitarian reasons for businesses to become environmentally and socially sustainable have become clearer than ever. With less fanfare, the business rationale for sustainable prac. tices has also begun to clarify. Many marketing companies, including some of the world's largest and most successful (e.g., Walmart, Nike, and Interface Carpets), have undertaken the serious task of becoming more environmentally neutral and more socially responsible. In moving to more sustainable models, these companies have not compromised their economic futures. On the contrary, they are helping to usher in a new business paradigm that will ensure their economic viability in a world of increasingly scarce natural resources and rapidly growing consumer markets.