What is it about?
Socially responsible marketing is practiced by companies engaged in corporate social responsibility as a way to clearly communicate their positive social and environmental behaviors to ethical consumers. The opposite practice, greenwashing, is commonly used by companies attempting to gain undue credit for a lackluster commitment to responsible social and environmental behaviors. While the former is preferable, the latter has become increasingly sophisticated and dominant in the marketplace.
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Why is it important?
Socially responsible marketing is an important component of ethical marketplace as it allows for clear communication between producers and consumers. Socially irresponsible marketing (a.k.a. greenwashing) hinders the ability of ethical consumers in particular to effectively influence companies through their purchasing behavior, often construed as casting “economic votes” for responsible companies.
Perspectives
There is a small but growing academic literature on greenwashing. I hope that this piece contributes to our ability to make sense of it and help both businesses and consumers avoid it.
Ellis Jones
College of the Holy Cross
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Socially Responsible Marketing (SRM), March 2015, Wiley,
DOI: 10.1002/9781118989463.wbeccs215.
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