Going Green: A Market Necessity or a Choice?

Commerce is moving in a new direction due to the fact that humanity has been killing the planet for hundreds of years since the industrial revolution. The consumer base has realized that when they purchase things, their decisions can have an impact on the world. As such, many consumers, especially younger consumers, have moved towards companies and products that claim to be green and environmentally friendly. With this movement it is not only morally imperative that corporations move towards a more environmentally friendly model, but also financially necessary as well, so let’s take a look at what that all means.

The Importance of Green Consumerism

There’s the obvious importance in that consumers prefer products that aren’t harmful to the planet that they live on. The oceans are full of trash, commerce is a massive energy drain, and carbon emissions are a massive issue that most countries on Earth are trying to solve. These are not only problems that need to be solved on an individual level, but also on a massive level at the corporate and state level. It is also just healthier on an individual level to seek out locally sourced foods because they require fewer preservatives and other such things that our bodies don’t like.

How To Be A Green Consumer

Part of becoming a green consumer is all the stuff we’ve been hearing for decades now. Recycling is important (though impossible in some places), don’t use excessive amounts of energy and water in your daily life, try to drive less. These are certainly important things to do, though the individual impact on the environment is negligible at best. The biggest thing a consumer can do is vet the products they buy. Do a little research and figure out what the companies you buy from are doing and decide if that’s something you are willing to support.

How to Be A Green Producer

The first thing I will touch on for being a green producer is the most obvious, though not the most important: use less packaging. We have all ordered something online like a t-shirt or whatever that came in the mail and was in a box with a bunch of plastic bubble wrap, and then wrapped in plastic itself, and all for a product that didn’t need to be protected much at all, and certainly didn’t need to be wrapped. Don’t do that; use the bare minimum for packaging that allows your product to reach your customer safely. This step has the added benefit of being cheaper because you’re using less. Other important things include being transparent with your customer base on your practices and methodologies when it comes to environmentalism. As long as you’re being mindful and doing the appropriate things, this can only be a boon for you. It is also incredibly important to make products that last. Lately the market has shifted towards cheap, replaceable products and that’s a terrible thing for the environment. Create products that last and not only are you doing your part for the environment, but customers appreciate when the things they buy hold up to use and will return to you when they need something else. It creates brand loyalty, which is invaluable.

Conclusion

The point of all of this is that there is a lot we can do, both as consumers and as producers to be better stewards for our planet. We’ve only got the one and it’s important that we take care of it because once it is gone then so are we. The trend in the market towards more eco-friendly and sustainable methods and products should be fully embraced by producers because that is what consumers want. We as consumers are seeing the effects of climate change every single day and we want products and companies that are willing to do their part to save our planet. Make sure you keep that in mind as you create your new products and market them to a potential consumer base. It is necessary to move with the market and this is the way the market is moving, even if it is kicking and screaming every step of the way.