How thinking about sustainable marketing changed my view the world

Having taken Comm 486F, I learned a lot more about a topic I was skeptical about. At first I always thought that companies who position themselves as green are catering a specific niche of “green” consumers, and I was convinced that I wouldn’t fall for the hype of these so called green products. After learning more about why we should care about sustainability — the economical, social and environmental effects each consumer or every product that is produced has, I feel a new-found need to try to reduce my consumption where ever I can. Although I now pay more attention to companies who use sustainability as a positioning strategy, I am now aware of greenwashing, and I often find myself looking more deeply into a company’s claims of sustainability. However, as a consumer, I find myself wanting to make more positive green changes in my life (independent of marketers) such as unplugging my electronic devices, taking public transit more and buying locally grown organic foods.

As I have learned from this course, materials will be depleted some day, especially the non-renewable resources that our generation has seemed to think we have infinite amounts of, and I cant even begin to imagine how our earth would look if we continue this consumption 100 years from now. Whether or not my actions make any huge impact, a tiny impact is better than none at all. I’m glad to see that many companies are engaging in CSR, and whether or not companies are greenwashing or truly acting more sustainably, they are trying their best, and are making the public more aware of environmental issues. I hope to see this continue and I hope governments will get more involved in this issue to protect future generations.