Through our class lectures and our first presentations Iâve had a couple of realizations. Both in the âI just learned an amazing new thingâ and the âwow I never connected those dots until now.â
One thing I subconsciously knew but was never fully aware of is that sustainability is very complex and so is any companyâs journey to achieve it. Throughout the presentations weâve been exposed to companies with great sustainability goals and environmentally minded products, but all of them have issues and donât holistically address all environmental concerns. A product could solve a problem like accessible transportation, but then present a new problem like the productâs short life cycle or safety concerns. The Third Generation Corporationby Hart makes the claim that we have already made the transition to âthe sustainable corporation,â but like we discussed in class and saw through the presentations the current situation is one of change. We can see shifts to more sustainable corporations, but it is slow going. The shift to a more environmentally conscious and friendly business market is just starting, with small start-ups and small changes occurring in some larger corporations.
From Green Marketing To Marketing for Environmental Sustainability by Scammon and Mish has been my favorite and most educational reading thus far. Learning the context behind public distrust on âgreenâ products made me understand why my older relatives sometimes scoff at the labels and claim they are hoax. It also exemplified a time where consumer concerns majorly affected the market, though some claims were disingenuous, the fact that companies put the effort in green labels and portraying themselves as âgreenâ reflects a certain amount of customer influence.
Our brief mention of ads the possibility/effects of fake advertisements was cool, and I hope to discuss it further. Iâve also really enjoyed the fact that we have acknowledged the negatives aspects of sustainability in business, but we do have a more positive perspective than I expected. Iâm excited about seeing everyoneâs company choices and future innovations as the choices for the first ones were interesting to learn about.