Marketing in the age of sustainable development

At the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg 2002 all countries committed themselves to promote sustainable consumption and production (SCP) patterns, with developed countries taking the lead (United Nations 2005a). As a follow-up to the World Summit, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is pursuing the development of a ten-year framework of programmes on SCP, in support of regional and national initiatives (UNEP 2006). The promotion of SCP signifies a shift in environmental policies, which for many years have been focused on the production side. However, despite cleaner production and higher eco-efficiency of end-use appliances, overall environmental impact is still growing. That is why the consumption side has become an important issue in environmental policies as well. Both sides have to be addressed to reduce the overall environmental impact, particularly in industrialised countries. The promotion of SCP is a common task of governments, civil society organisations and the private sector (United Nations 2005a). This chapter deals with the role of business in SCP. It focuses on marketing as a business function that occupies a pivotal position between producers and consumers (Charter 2006). So far, marketing has not been involved or engaged in the SCP debate. The natural environment has hardly been considered by marketing theory and practice. As the natural environment changes as a result of increasing human pressure, the environment will become a key factor for marketing in the future (Belz 2006).