What Do We Mean by 'Sustainability Marketing?' An Abstract

Sustainability in marketing has gained some traction over the years, but yet we still remain uncertain about whether this means a reconceptualization of marketing needs to occur and, really, what is meant by “sustainability marketing?” The objective of the paper was to understand how sustainability marketing is conceptualized. Using Hopwood et al.’s (2005) sustainability framework as a guide, three sustainability marketing conceptualizations were identified: status quo, reformative, and transformative. The study found that most of the literature had a weak perspective of sustainability, with more than half the papers adhering to the status quo conceptualization. This paper presents transformative sustainability marketing as the means through which marketing can positively contribute to the sustainability agenda. It is through this form of marketing that we can question the role marketers play in inhibiting sustainability and how they can help change the institutions and ideology that prevent a shift to a sustainable society.