Greener Marketing

This timely book is a sequel to John Grant's Green Marketing Manifesto which was the award winning and bestselling definitive guide to green marketing (and not greenwashing) in the previous wave of eco marketing in 2007.

In 2019, climate change is right back at the top of the public agenda. Greta Thunberg and Extinction Rebellion are front page news. The UK, EU and other governments have declared a climate emergency. 181 CEOs of American companies - including Walmart, Amazon and Apple - signed a Business Round Table declaration saying that the purpose of corporations is not just to make money for shareholders, but to improve society, care for the environment and be ethical. Unilever CEO Alan Jope says they will dispose of brands that don't have a bigger purpose. Concerns like ocean plastic (the 'Blue Planet effect') have upped the pace of change. With ambitious responses such as refills stations, unpackaged goods, super-materials from wood fibre and seaweed and a new 'milkman for groceries' reusable packaging service called Loop. Sustainable brands are now outperforming others in most markets. Eco challenger brands like VEJA and Allbirds are 'the new cool'. While Adidas showed (with Parlay ocean plastic shoes) you can also create a billion dollar mainstream offer. Even banking is changing, with rapid growth in ESG and Impact Investing. Plus, the $40Bn overnight success of sustainability linked loans to companies like Philips and Prada. 

How can marketing and the creative industries respond? Even Extinction Rebellion thinks we can play a positive role - although XR also say it has to go beyond banning plastic straws - if we can only manage to tell the truth and lead the change. Hundreds of creative agencies and brands came out on climate strike and donated ideas: Or in the case of Patagonia donated their entire $10m tax windfall to environmental causes. But what now? How do you set a positive course? In this book we look at some of the leaders - brands like Patagonia and Max Burgers aiming to be climate positive. And we look at brands who have found a fresh sense of purpose by championing a relevant cause. The book is packed with case studies, tools, research insights. Covering issues like eco labelling, transparency, circular economy, rebound effects, impact investment, new coalitions and developments ranging from sustainable finance, to blockchain and traceability, to regenerative farming.

One key theme that carries over from the Green Marketing Book is that marketers need to know their facts if attempts are not to be superficial. When you know 95% of the energy footprint of a mobile phone is in manufacturing and materials (not charging the battery) you know that getting people to dim their screen won't save much CO2. But that getting them to keep their phone in use for an extra year is a huge win for the planet.

The ultimate goal is to go beyond marketing that simply looks good, and to create a vision of marketing that does good.

• Uncover strategies for sustainable marketing that actually deliver on green and social objectives, not just greenwashing
• Reconceptualise marketing and business models, and learn to recognise the commercial strategies and approaches that are no longer fit for purpose
• Learn how hot topics like the climate crisis, single use plastics, and blockchain technology influence green and social marketing
• Read examples and case studies from both brand leaders and challengers that have developed innovations and fresh creative approaches to green and social marketing
• Get practical tools, models, facts, plus strategy, workshop and project processes and business case rationales - so that you can build your own plans and proposals

This book is intended to assist marketers, by means of clear and practical guidance, through a comp