Green Marketing: A Theoretical Perspective

The theoretical view of green marketing, derived from within institutional economics, environmental politics, and technological theory, is a multi-disciplinary perspective suggesting that a potential environmental crisis resides not necessarily in specific behaviours but rather within the dominant social paradigm (DSP) of Western industrial societies. Effective policies and strategies then must recognize the crisis as one of paradigms. This paper addresses the failure of contemporary green marketing to move beyond the limitations of the prevailing paradigm. While there are nascent macro developments in marketing thought that might lead to a truly green marketing considering sustainability, holistic thought, and the limitations of the prevailing paradigm, they remain thus far on the periphery of the discipline. They will remain so until a broader, multi-disciplinary approach incorporating the multiple dimensions of the DSP is developed.