Sustainability as a marketing factor for companies

SUSTAINABILITY is also becoming increasingly important in marketing. Customers increasingly expect companies to adopt a sustainable approach.Sustainability is an elastic term. In this context, it encompasses all measures to protect the environment and take into account social aspects such as the rights of consumers and employees. This approach is one of the fundamental characteristics of the humanist system that makes Europe unique in the world. As other parts of the world are dominated by the radical market economy, sustainability is of particular importance in the age of globalization. Marketing strategies geared towards this will give us a competitive advantage because people, in their role as customers and employees, are paying more attention to responsible corporate strategies, particularly in Germany and neighboring countries. political trend in the EU for some time nowwhich is clearly geared towards the sustainability of the economy. Accordingly, companies must adapt or restructure components such as procurement in line with these guidelines. KAISER+KRAFT therefore introduced in 2014, as a pioneer in the B2B sector the pilot project of the new Supplier Code of Conduct in. The aim here is to check suppliers for compliance with social and ecological standards. This also involves the disclosure of all measures taken to achieve these goals and an annual sustainability report for all customers, shareholders, business partners and employees.The importance of sustainabilityThe focus of corporate strategies on sustainable production and delivery processes has positive long-term effects. On the one hand, at the beginning of 2014 EU directives adoptedwhich state that in the awarding of public contracts, preference is given to companies that deal responsibly with deal with the social and ecological criteria of the manufacturing processesIn this way, in addition to the ecological and social motives, economic incentives to operate sustainably are created. News about Environmental disasters caused by recklessness or inhumane conditions in American companies are well known to people.New approaches to fixed corporate structuresTo ensure sustainability, a company must break new ground, and customer requirements are increasingly placing the focus on a sustainable approach. This has led to changes in the internal structures of companies that have already positioned themselves accordingly. They have introduced active supply chain management, which enables sufficiently transparent monitoring of processes with regard to economic, environmental and social aspects. Within this framework, special IT solutions geared towards sustainability which are based on environmental protection and social compatibility standards (including consumer and employee protection).Sustainability as a marketing factor and advantageSeveral statistical surveys paint a clear picture. The topic alone Climate protection has an impact on purchasing behavior by over 50 percent of consumers. This does not contradict the results of surveys, according to which sustainably produced products are too expensive for more than half of Europeans. Many people on the old continent do not have enough money and are forced to look at the price when choosing products. The aspect of sustainability in itself is an advertising factor that brings with it a unique selling point. In the example of KAISER+KRAFT mentioned at the beginning, optimizations for the correct implementation of sustainability in the marketing mix Many people rightly fear the negative effects of globalization. The fears of the TTIP free trade agreement are justified. This makes it all the more important to uphold our own values and protect what we have achieved together. Germany and Europe may not be model students, but the old continent has by far the best conditions for environmental protection and social aspects.Author: Michael Kummer, Sales Manager EMEA at Kaltura