Marketing Sustainable Products in the Retail Sector: The Potential Integration of Sustainability Marketing

This thesis investigates the ability of retailers to communicate sustainable products through sustainability marketing. Sustainable products are defined as products that "make a contribution to the solution of socio-ecological problems" (Belz, 2005). Whereas traditional marketing aims at increasing business revenues, sustainability marketing aims at reaching sustainability and business goals. By interviewing eight retailers from the EU and a number of others who work with retailers, this research aims to find how retailers are promoting sustainable products and if these promotional techniques integrate sustainability marketing. This investigation finds that retailers are communicating sustainable products via a number of different techniques. Placement, consumer experience, and communicating the added value are particularly important. This thesis develops Karstens and Belz's (2005) criteria for integrating sustainability marketing into the traditional marketing mix (product, price, place, and promotional mix): fair and suitable prices, accessible distribution, and communication via credibility, emotional stimuli and motive alliances. The analysis as to whether these retailers are integrating sustainability marketing finds that they are mainly integrating sustainability marketing via accessible distribution and credible communication. The analysis, in part, parallels some of the findings regarding which criteria were most important for increasing sales. Further indications about sustainability marketing and retailers' communication of sustainable products are reflected upon