Eco-Friendly marketing has never been easier!

Marketing is all about presenting your message to the world. People often seem to think that they need endless natural resources in order to effectively market their brands. In today’s world, though, we have to be more conscious of how we use our natural resources.  We must learn to market effectively using eco-friendly and sustainable products.

Email Marketing

According to the American Forest and Paper Association, 68 million trees are cut down to make 17 billion catalogs and 65 billion pieces of direct mail. By contrast, one email, on average, has one-sixtieth the carbon footprint of a letter. By helping your customers switch to online mailings instead of paper ones you could help to drastically reduce the amount of trees cut down every year.

Some simple ways to promote email mailings include: adding email signups to your website and emailing current subscribers to ask if they would like to opt out of paper mailings in order to promote a healthier environment.

Shop Local

When possible, sourcing local goods instead of shipping from out of state, or even out of the country, can help to lower CO2 emissions and reduce your company’s overall carbon footprint. This could be as simple as using a local printer or buying parts for your product from local companies. Such strategies both help the environment and support your community. They may also bring more brand awareness to your company.

Environmental Cause

By connecting your company to an environmental cause you shed light on an important issue, while also showing your company in a good light. According to a 2016 Deloitte study, millennials are more likely to rate their company culture as “very positive” if it is linked to volunteering. Customers respect companies that promote charities. Employees feel better about working for them, as well.

Some great ways to connect with charities include hosting volunteer events for your employees or donating a portion of your sales to a designated cause, such as planting trees or creating habitats for endangered species.

Recycled Materials

Everything your company puts out into the world is a direct reflection of what you stand for. Which is why simple things, such as packaging and business cards, are incredibly important. Using recycled goods to create marketing materials demonstrates your brand’s eco-friendly core values — while also putting less waste into the world.

Many brands, such as Reformation Clothing, use their packaging to take a stance on environmental protection. They use recycled material to ship their products and also use RefScale,  which breaks down each garment’s impact on the environment. Customers feel good about supporting a company that is helping the environment when they see its direct impact.

Shipping

According to the International Maritime Organization, or the IMO, if international shipping were a country it would be the 6^th largest polluter in the world!  Shipping wastes natural resources and creates harsh chemicals and fumes. Companies can reduce these emissions by simply switching to DHL — one of the first major shipping companies to transition to 100% climate neutral shipping — or other eco-friendly shipping methods. By using different shipping methods, companies can drastically reduce their damage to the environment.

Making a positive environmental impact does not have to be hard. By taking a green approach to marketing, your company can make a impact on the amount of waste that goes into our world. And your customers will feel good about their purchases.

For more information about how to market sustainably contact us via email! Or call us at (415) 351-2227