Sustainability arises out of two troubling and seemingly paradoxical global trends:  the depletion of natural resources due to overconsumption and the lack of access to resources due to inequality.

Marketing grew out of the need to compete in the marketplace and sell products. Once sold, short of service contracts for durable goods, the company counts the revenue and moves on. Certainly, revenue-generation will continue to be critical. However, marketing strategy today includes partnering with consumers in the transition to more sustainable consumption.

We need new products and services that do less bad but also that do more good. Marketers may initially help companies develop and sell products that do less harm to people and the environment. Leading companies however innovate products and services that actually maximize benefits to people and planet.

Nearly every product needs to be reimagined in a new, more sustainable form.

The role of the marketing and communications–when business is faced with pressures to address natural resource shortages, climate change and inequality–faces a unique and unprecedented set of challenges and opportunities. 

Beyond merely communicating value propositions to targeted consumers, marketers are facing a public that is as concerned as it is skeptical of claims of “social responsibility” and “sustainability”. Communicating with stakeholders about sustainability is tricky as you can be accused of “green washing”, being secretive, and non-transparent all on the same day.

Consumers are driven by a wide variety of motivations, needs, and interests when making purchasing decisions. However, marketing research has revealed that there are certain categories, or “segments”, of consumers based on reported preferences and actual buying behavior. To improve impacts on people and planet, marketers need to understand the segments of sustainable consumers.