Advocacy for a cleaner planet has driven the surge of eco-friendly promotional products and marketing materials.
88% of American consumers lean toward patronizing businesses that champion environmental or social causes. 73% of millennials —a significant portion of purchasing consumers—are even willing to pay more for sustainable items.
These numbers have given rise to the demand for climate-friendly brands.
Several businesses have made the switch, now creating more sustainable products and using eco marketing and eco advertising strategies. Here are the essentials for this type of marketing, as used by any professional online marketing services company.
Table of Contents
What Is Eco Marketing?
Eco marketing is developing and manufacturing environmentally friendly goods and promoting them in a sustainable way. It is an initiative built around sustainable enterprises.
Eco-advertising can involve any of the following:
- Eco-friendly promotional products
- Eco-friendly marketing materials
- Sustainable packaging
- Recyclable or renewable product components
- Purpose-driven marketing practices
- Pro-environment marketing messages
This form of marketing should convey your company’s commitment to sustainability to your target market, partners, and workforce.
It banks on your core business values that support these goals:
- Environmental wellness
- Human health
- Fair trade
- Resource security
- Social equity
Effective Eco Advertising Initiatives
Disseminate your message about sustainable endeavors and execute these eco marketing strategies:
- Expand to Include Green Products
- Set an Example
- Change Your Product Packaging
- Start an In-House Recycling Program
- Invest in Online Marketing
- Use Green Pricing
Expand to Include Green Products
Enter the eco-friendly niche by doing any of these:
- Produce an existing product’s green version
- Add a green product from a different supplier to your inventory
- Create a completely new green product
Green products use environment-friendly materials sourced ethically.
Look around you and see what consumer pain points you can address with green products. Find inspiration in the marketplace and observe the green initiative other brands are introducing into their product creation and construction.
Marketing, manufacturing, and packaging can have eco-friendly features to make something a green product or service.
Set an Example
Ferry your message about what your business stands for and values in terms of sustainability through actions. Be a genuine advocate for the planet.
Outline plans you can execute to stand for the environment. Here are practical ways to showcase your intent that you can back with actions:
- Implement green practices within and outside your organization.
- Set your company’s goals to contribute to the betterment of the environment and promote them.
- Advance green causes through consistent work in your locality.
- Gradually establish plastic-free efforts in your company until you eliminate its use completely.
- Support eco-friendly marketing materials and product ingredients that are locally grown and sourced.
- Donate a portion of your profits from eco-friendly promotional products to an eco-friendly cause or charity.
Change Your Product Packaging
Global annual plastic waste production is estimated at 400 million tonnes.
As a business owner and marketer, you can empower your company to take part in reducing this amount.
Use non-plastic alternatives for the packaging of your eco-friendly promotional products. Establish long-lasting partnerships with suppliers of biodegradable wrapping.
Recyclable paper bags from repurposed materials are a good choice. This packaging type can be one of the brand’s selling points that you can leverage for eco marketing purposes.
Another option is choosing naked packaging. It is even better if you can distribute your products without any special packaging.
Either way, you should set and achieve the sustainability goal of ridding your wrappers of any type of unrecyclable plastic components.
Start an In-House Recycling Program
Promote sustainability at the workplace by arranging a long-term recycling program. Recycling, reusing, and repurposing projects help build morale and influence your employees to adopt an eco-friendly lifestyle.
Reducing the amount of waste your office disposes of has a direct positive impact on the surrounding.
Invest in Online Marketing
Ditch the paper for business promotion and gear toward eco marketing.
There are numerous perks to tech-friendly eco marketing. Besides decreasing your advertising expenses and giving limitless creative freedom, eco advertising, such as digital and social media marketing, also lessens your carbon footprint.
Use Green Pricing
Typically, eco-friendly promotional products have a higher value owing to the increased costs of sustainable design and production. However, more clients are still willing to pay for them despite the price tag.
Since you charge higher for your eco products, ensure you communicate their specifications clearly. Prove that these items are worth the investment.
Eco-Friendly Promotional Products
Listed below are eco-friendly product ideas for sustainable eco advertising:
- Tear-Resistant Shopper’s Bag
- Reusable Water Bottle
- Reusable Straws
- Biodegradable Bamboo Toothbrush
- Soap Bar
- Recycled Bamboo Face Mask
Tear-Resistant Shopper’s Bag
A washable and reusable tote or grocery shopping bag is an excellent alternative to disposable single-use plastic bags that remain in landfills for years.
Because fabrics are sourced from plants requiring lots of water to grow, ensure you make high-quality shopper bags that will serve buyers in the long term.
Present your brand logo and other eco marketing elements on the items in a stylish and purposeful way. This will make the owners want to keep the bag for as long as it lasts.
Reusable Water Bottle
Reusable drinking bottles can be made from bamboo, glass, ceramic, or stainless steel. They are some of the most beneficial eco marketing products, helping reduce plastic consumption drastically.
Besides landfills, oceans are also polluted with a ton of plastic bottles. That is why it is vital for your enterprise to bring a sharp focus on eco advertising. You can do this by meticulously curating your inventory of eco-friendly promotional products and eco-friendly marketing materials.
Reusable Straws
Another widely popular eco advertising product idea is a set of washable and reusable metal or bamboo straws for worry-free enjoyment of beverages. It goes perfectly with other earth-friendly kitchenware.
If you go for this environment-friendly drinkware, share a durable fabric storage pouch. It will keep the straws protected and clean, so they can last longer. Plus, include a cleaning brush that is made ideally with coconut fiber.
Biodegradable Bamboo Toothbrush
The average person uses around 300 toothbrushes in a lifetime. This alarming number calls for adopting more environmentally-safe substitutes, such as toothbrushes with fully compostable handles.
These are worthwhile eco marketing products that can replace non-recyclable plastic items.
Soap Bar
Soap bars can be a totally zero-waste eco advertising merchandise, especially when delivered without wrappers.
In addition, the soap itself can be made of biodegradable ingredients, like natural and organic oils. It is an efficient natural cleansing product that does not pollute water.
Recycled Bamboo Face Mask
This mask is non-polluting, made of 100% recycled sustainable material, and a smart alternative to the disposable surgical mask.
Eco Marketing Examples by Brand
Satya + Sage
As mentioned previously, social media and digital marketing are easily some of the best ways to implement sustainable eco advertising programs.
You can share a wide range of content—from educating online users about responsible and sustainable lifestyle choices to informing them of how your brand is environment-safe.
Satya + Sage efficiently leverages these platforms to impart tips on using the seed paper that comes with their candles.
The Body Shop
The Body Shop is known for positioning itself as a green brand with a Leaping Bunny certification. The program is a globally-recognized gold standard for cruelty-free, non-animal-tested personal care and cosmetic items.
The popular brand’s eco marketing approach is anchored on aligning its values with the protection of the planet.
Selling only vegan-friendly products, The Body Shop maintains its support for farmers and initiates health training seminars for staff members. Moreover, its long-term goals include switching to 100% renewable energy in stores and constructing wholly green office buildings.
Starbucks
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified since 2005, Starbucks progressed from planning to completely removing the use of plastic straws in 2020. It aims to open around 10,000 eco-safe stores by 2025.
Relevant to its Green Store Initiative, the coffeehouse chain plans to use 25% less energy and 30% less water during production processes.
Love Beauty and Planet
A Unilever brand, Love Beauty and Planet fights the assumption that negative environmental effects and the beauty industry are inseparable.
Aside from using non-toxic and natural ingredients in their body creams and shampoos, these products are also packaged in recycled plastic bottles. These containers are ready for repurposing once emptied.
Patagonia
Patagonia’s market positioning is eco marketing done perfectly.
While the company discloses that its products are not entirely green, this fact does not tarnish its image because it expresses sincere passion for helping tackle climate change issues.
Patagonia’s eco advertising strategy and contributions to the Go Green movement are etched on its company vision and mission. It allocates millions to help protect endangered species and support reforestation and sustainable agricultural practices.
In a Nutshell: Eco Marketing, Sustainability, and Environmental Accountability
Eco marketing requires a true sense of responsibility and a complete buy-in to be effective.
Bringing eco-friendly promotional products into the mix of your promotional efforts entails commitment to draw in a considerable deal of positive reception and action from consumers. Your business can greatly benefit from eco advertising if you look at it beyond being a fad.
With the increasing number of people searching for green alternatives to traditional goods, authenticity in your purpose to help conserve the environment is key to differentiating yourself from the crowded marketplace.
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