In a sample of 105 firms in Spain, a relationship was found between strategic proactivity and approaches to the natural environment. The firms with the most proactive business strategies (“prospect...

Strategic proactivity and firm approach to the natural environment

Purpose – To review the history of “green marketing” since the early 1990s and to provide a critique of both theory and practice in order to understand how the marketing discipline may yet contribute to progress towards greater sustainability.

Design/methodology/approach – The paper examines elements of green marketing theory and practice over the past 15 years by employing the logic of the classic paper from 1985 “Has marketing failed, or was it never really tried” of seeking to identify “false marketings” that have hampered progress.

Findings – That much of what has been commonly referred to as “green marketing” has been underpinned by neither a marketing, nor an environmental, philosophy. Five types of misconceived green marketing are identified and analysed: green spinning, green selling, green harvesting, enviropreneur marketing and compliance marketing.

Practical implications – Provides an alternative viewpoint on a much researched, but still poorly understood area of marketing, and explains why the anticipated “green revolution” in marketing prefaced by market research findings, has not more radically changed products and markets in practice.

Originality/value – Helps readers to understand why progress towards a more sustainable economy has proved so difficult, and outlines some of the more radical changes in thought and practice that marketing will need to adopt before it can make a substantive contribution towards greater sustainability.

Green marketing: legend, myth, farce or prophesy?

Developing environmental management strategies

A review of the literature on environmental innovation management in SMEs: implications for public policies

Reviews the development of environmental management, with specific reference to its effects on service industries in general and the hospitality industry specifically. The impact of environmental management on the hospitality industry was tested using a postal survey of hotel managers. The likely effects of environmental management on the hotel were determined.

Environmental management in hotels

Businesses of all sizes are finding it increasingly necessary, in the face of demands from customers and shareholders, to develop environmentally-friendly policies for every aspect of their activities. Based on John Elkington's experience in advising such companies as ICI, Glaxo and Procter & Gamble, and conducting environmental audits for, among others, British Telecom, Novo Nordisk, Shell and TSB, this book quotes case studies in approaching the issues at all levels from the boardroom down. The topics examined include operating finance, legal and personnel departments, research, transport and office supplies.

Peter Knight

Papers

The Green Business Guide