No we aren’t talking about the Grinch who stole Christmas…we mean corporate environmental “greening” programs.

Environmental awareness has intensified, causing countless organizations to launch a flurry of communications touting their green credentials. Much of the green marketing is driven by a reactive approach to policy advocacy around food, energy, natural resource protection and globalization. As the programs of environmental advocates drive policy creation, media reporting and consumer attention, corporate marketers are reacting by talking about environmental responsibility with very little differentiation – a practice avoided in traditional marketing.

This homogenized communications approach raises questions about message effectiveness. Many of the advertising and environmental reports not only look and sound the same; they also reflect a largely reactionary position. Meanwhile, underlying environmental issues and possibilities for moving beyond greening remain mostly unaddressed.

Moving Beyond Greening
Sadly, our response to greening issues often misses an important opportunity to address future sustainability challenges. Not only do we need innovations for our future, resource depletion has a grave impact right now on the four billion or so people who still depend directly on nature for daily subsistence. Innovation is vitally needed to solve these challenges.

The future of the environmental movement will continue to be driven by issues of food production, energy consumption, natural resource scarcity and the social pressures that result from increased global pressure on nature’s economy. Meeting those needs will be the focus of the next economic revolution, and those corporations who can align with the new marketplace needs will prosper. The path to success, as always, is paved with sound strategy.

For more on how The Vandiver Group can help your organization develop and implement a sound sustainability strategy, read the most recent issue of our Visions publication titled, “Moving Beyond Greening to Sustainability.” You can also contact Donna Vandiver at 314-991-464, ext. 103, or email us at TVG@vandivergroup.com.

Contact us at tvg@vandivergroup.com or send comments to blog@vandivergroup.com.