The Benefits from Marketing Yourself as an Eco Friendly Business

External Benefits

Positive Public Relations

When a business uses energy efficient lighting, heating and cooling, reduces its water use, recycles office materials, organizes employee community cleanup activities, uses recycled materials and creates less waste. You then generate positive public relations in your community, industry and with your customers.

You can advertise yourself as a green company or your products as green on your product packaging, in  your advertising and on your website.

Green Products: such as green packaging

Packaging that cannot biodegrade takes up enormous amounts of space in landfills. A business that manufactures and packages products can convert to eco-friendly packaging. Converting to biodegradable packaging provides customers with a visible symbol of your company's commitment to "going green." Your business can also leverage the eco-friendly packaging as part of its advertising program to help draw in new environmentally conscious customers.

Public Response

With green initiatives increasing in popularity, economic studies have shown that companies utilizing green technology and selling green products are seeing an increase in profits. Companies such as Wal-Mart and Target have incorporated green changes such as composting and recycling, changing transportation routes to save gas, reducing packaging, and stocking their shelves with greener products. As a result, these companies have seen customers respond positively to the changes, with green product sales alone jumping somewhere around 20 percent as of 2010.

Increased Business Opportunities

Green marketers also can qualify as vendors or suppliers with government agencies and businesses that prefer to do business with these types of businesses.

Some government agencies, commercial businesses and non-profit institutions mandate that only businesses that meet specific green standards can bid on their contracts. Some also mandate that their purchasing departments only buy green products or use products and services sold by companies that meet certain green standards.

Improving Brand Image

When you position yourself, declare and practice as a green company, you create brand preference or loyalty and boost sales and profits.

• Attracting Customers

Boosting your green credentials can significantly improve your public image. When you go green, you will come across as a company that cares, and this can help to attract customers who share your values. Being an environmentally friendly business can also create some great PR opportunities, and you could find that it has a positive effect on business.

• Attracting and retaining Employees

In addition to attraction more customers, you can also attract the best employees who want to work for a business that shares their own eco beliefs. Many employees will now choose to work for a company that shares their own values, so you can make sure that your green credentials help you to appeal to more people.

Giving Back to the Community

Going green can be an excellent way for local businesses to give back to their communities. As a business, the initiatives that you introduce can make a larger impact than an individual could achieve.

For example, you could organize a recycling awareness campaign in your local area, or support local eco events. Not only will this have a direct impact on the community, but it will also provide your business with some outstanding PR and can be a very effective way to improve customer loyalty.

Sustainability

The larger value of going green relates to maintaining the health of the environment. Utilizing sustainable methods can prevent the waste of natural resources, helping reduce the risk of depletion on the long run. Going green preserving natural resources by using those that are sustainable, or by taking measures to reduce the amount consumed.

Internal Benefits

Reduce Operating and Production costs

In addition to boosting sales, going green can help to reduce operating,  production costs and increase profit margins.

Marketing starts before a business begins advertising or promoting its products. It includes strategies covering product development, pricing and distribution.

• Reducing energy bills

By reducing energy consumption, reduce costs in the form of lower energy bills.

Examples  - According to MSNBC.com, chemical manufacturer DuPont saved over $3 billion over two decades by reducing carbon emissions.

Smaller businesses can also benefit from reduced energy costs by taking simple steps like shutting off lights and computers when they're not in use.

• Cutting printing costs

Printing less cuts down on paper usage, and can lower the budget spent on printing materials. Refilling ink cartridges instead of throwing them away is another money-saving practice, since it saves money on the purchase of new cartridges, and it also reduces the amount of plastic thrown away from the cartridge and packaging.

• Reducing fuel costs

Offering hybrid vehicles to company employees can also save money for companies that refund employee mileage on fuel prices.  Cutting down on travel by video conferencing where possible.

Employees

Employees who are environmentally conscious buy into these green practices and it makes the workplace more appealing to them. It offers them the opportunity to influence the green movement.  Environmentally sensitive companies are also more attractive to potential employees who seek to become part of a positive corporate culture.

According to the Green Business Bureau, 96% of employees report that their company’s sustainability programme help to improve their relationship with their employer. 79% of hiring propects look for companies with  positive           environmental credentials.

Healthier Work Place

According to the Green Business Bureau website, companies that promote a healthier workplace report a 20 percent decrease in the number of sick days used by employees resulting in increased productivity and less money paid out in medical benefits. A healthy workplace can feature organic food selections in the company cafeteria or the use of environmentally friendly industrial and cleaning products.

Tax Credits

Businesses in the UK may get reliefs or exemption from some taxes under the Environmental taxes, reliefs and schemes if for example you buy energy-efficient technology for your business and can demonstrate that you’re operating more efficiently and producing waste that’s less damaging.

Consumer Demand

As environmental consciousness grows, consumers are demanding more green products and services, according to the Green Business Bureau website. Environmentally conscious consumers check labels for products and packaging made from recycled materials. Due to this growing consciousness, the market share for green products has continued to expand in a variety of ways.  It was, according to the article, a combination of pressure from consumers and a desire to make themselves more appealing to a consumer base that was getting greener-minded every day.