View of EVOLUTION OF GREEN MARKETING INITIATIVES IN INDIA

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ACCENT JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS ECOLOGY & ENGINEERING Peer Reviewed and Refereed Journal IMPACT FACTOR: 2.104 (ISSN NO. 2456-1037) Vol.03, Issue 09, Conference (IC-RASEM) Special Issue 01, September 2018 Available Online: www.ajeee.co.in/index.php/AJEEE

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EVOLUTION OF GREEN MARKETING INITIATIVES IN INDIA

Neeti Chaturvedi, Assistant Professor Sri Cloth Market Institute of Professional Studies, Indore (MP)

Email: chaturvedi.neet@gmail.com

Abstract - The Indian market is a huge and mixed onewith an immense variety of products and companies, thus imbibing any novel concept is a challenging assignment. The former Indian age has been close to nature, gradually the three C‟s Cost, Culture& Convenience transformed the Indian market scenario, inducing the invasion of artificial concepts and artifacts. This paper would be stating about the green past of the Indian culture, the current need of the green notion in India, the Indian companies‟ efforts and enterprise approaching the same.

Finally the future challenges and limitations of the Indian market towards assimilating the green thought. This paper would help assess the Indian market transition from green to a non- green one and then reiteration of the green notion over a span of time.

1. INTRODUCTION

Encouraging and perpetuating the green notion has all of a sudden become a bandwagon of all the companies throughout the globe. Although it has been a gradual development, with multifold seminars and international conferences being held for the green thought advancement. It has been contemplated that both National and international companies are attempting to proclaim green marketing not as a corporate social responsibility but rather as a marketing strategy.Green marketing as the name implies is the marketing of green or eco-friendly products and services, which means companiesendurance along with being non-detrimental to the environment.

2. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

This research paper is an attempt to study the green marketing tendencies prevailing throughout the Indian civilization. The paper is a conceptual study of the green marketing predominance in Indiaalong with realizing the challenges and limitations of the same. This study would help us know about the transformations and developments of the green concept in India.

3. DEFINITION

According to Polonsky, green marketing is a much broader concept than simple promotion and advertising of the products which are in possession of environmental characteristics.Rather it includes product change, production process change, packaging modifications and modifying advertisement as per the environment friendly concept.American Marketing

Association defined green marketing as “the efforts by organizations to produce, promote, package and reclaim products in a manner that is sensitive or responsive to ecological concerns.” Thus the green marketing concept in all would be being non-detrimental to the environment.

4. GREEN CONCEPT IN THE INDIAN PAST

India has a naturally rich eco-friendly pastthe Indian people‟s life had been extremely close to the nature. The Indian society and religion are intertwined around the concept of environment protection &

promotion(Green Technologies, concept, methodologies, tools and applications, by Information Resources Management Association, USA, 2011). The Indians used to start their day with Neemsticks, took water from wells, had tea in

„kulhars‟(earthen cups) . Prepared food in earthen utensils and had cool water from earthen pots.Preferred cooking with natural ingredients, rather than artificial or chemicals ones.

The Indian festivals also were according to the climatic needs, Holi used to be a festival where a plant named

„Palash‟ (tesukephool)and neem, were mixed in huge water filled tank and marinated overnight, and people used to play Holi out of the same in the morning (Satyajit N Singh, 2014). These plants were medicinal plants that protected the human beings from infection during the connecting season between winter and summer.Tulsi plant in almost every house, and used for its

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2 effective medicinal leaves.Tulsi demonstrates many psychological and physiological benefits as has been displayed by scientific studies (Marc Maurice Cohen,Tulsi- A herb for all reason, Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine, 2014). Such is the tendency of Indian rituals, that bigger or even a minor ritual must have had some scientific background.

Indian market, which was earlier more close to the nature,gradually parted ways from natural objects and took to the artificial market, more of from the foreign countries, which includedplastic cups, plastic boxes, utensils, microwave ovens, artificial colours and flavours.

Foreignconceptswere not altogether nature- abiding but, were accepted by the Indian people due to their cost, convenience and comfort.

5. NEED OF GREEN MARKETING IN INDIA

Indian political history can be considered as one of the major reason for its environmental defaulter. Still the Indian environment was not the initial culprit, the global environmental imbalance may appear to have initiated in the form of Chernobyl disaster and Exxon oil spill in the 1980s which led to some critical measures been taken, regarding safety and securityof air and marine environment, at the global level.TheIndian investor is definitely loosing on the environment and indirectly on the country‟s economy. A reportstates that environmental degradation costs India $80 billion per year 5.7% of its economy (World Bank report 2014). In a recent environmental survey of 178 countries by WHO, India ranked 155, and another survey concluded that India stands last among the BRICS countries, with respect to the environmental aspect (worldbank.org). The gravity of Indian environmental imbalance is such that the world bodies like WHO have sternly instructed theIndian Government to take stringent measures, so that the Indian environment becomes more palatable.This leaves India with the only option of going green, like many other world economies.

6. GREEN MARKETING AMONGST INDIAN ORIGIN COMPANIES

The Indian market may develop into a green one only if, the Indian companies attempt to endure the green thought amongst the masses as well as their own organization.

The green products include those which are environmentally safe, green products are not completely „green‟; rather they minimize the negative effects to the least. Green products are energy efficient, have low maintenance, often made of renewable materials.

Tata motors are making batteries that are 90% recyclable, the carbon footprints are also the minimum.

Amul India has taken the responsibility of planting saplings every Independence day, towards making the environment healthy, they have planted more than 620 lakhs of saplings, and taken care of them till they grew into proper tree (amul.com)

Reliance fabrics have developed a new technology of converting post- consumer PET bottles into a high quality polyester staple fibre having properties identical to the fibre from PET polymer.

This decreases dependence on natural resources and saves on environment (fibre2fashion.com)

Wipro is promoting the concept of green buildings, which utilize sunlight for the enlightenment of the inner area while minimizing the use of electricity. Such type of lighting is appreciated as it is provided automatically and at appropriate level to the officials. Such an act reduces on carbon footprints and increases on natural life (wiprolighting.com)

Maruti is enduring sustainability through conserving electricity, water and efficient waste management, at its manufacturing plants, thuscontributing towards a greener environment.

Indian companies today are looking out for a green supply chain, which is moreover a distribution system with least carbon footprints.

Reliance Fresh has been one of the most active and cost effective supply chain of vegetables, it is procuring vegetables directly from farmers, which is surpassing the extra cost of „mandis‟, and also minimizing the wastage of stocking the extra materials (vegetables).

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3 Distribution is made more green and cost effective through reduction ofpackaging material quantity. The Just-in-time facility and door to door facility are supposed to be reducing in time and cost, and also minimizing the wastage in warehousing.

Transport constitutes 35% of the logistics, which results in 10-15% of overall emission. Transportation redesigning through following strategies can help companies reduce their environmental footprint while ensuring supply chain efficiencies.

Green logistics practices can bring in multiple business and environmental benefits across supply chain. The essence is to improve logistics operations with sustainability as the core principle. The business benefits include cost reductions by 10-15% through supply chain efficiencies. The benefits go beyond the tangibles and include intangible benefits of improved brand image and recognition leading to customer retention. The environment benefits include unto 40-50%

reduction in energy consumption, unto 10- 15% reduction in green house emissions and unto 20% reduction in waste generation. The environmental benefits can help companies gain carbon credits which can then be sold to organizations worldwide.

The green promotion involves the all around awareness and affinity generation towards the green thought. The green concept should be commencing with the awareness among the employee of the organization itself, later they should be promoting the green notion among their consumers.

7. FUTURE CHALLENGES AND LIMITATIONS OF GREEN MARKETING IN INDIA

The Indian market is acknowledged by its diversity, it comprises of various challenges and limitations:

 Lack of investment in Research &

Development: Indian companies are in their novice state regarding their Research prospects. Indian companies are lagging behind in their research prospects; this department is the least invested

area. New ideas are hard to procure, new products are even harder.

 Poor Infrastructure: The Indian market lacks the efficiency of producing an effective communication and distribution system. Any product or idea if crops up is challenging to reach out to the masses, which is in both rural and urban areas.

 Corporate Initiatives: The companies are themselves lack in taking an initiative, as they are happy with the Cost, Culture & Convenience of their current products. They do not want to compromise with their profit margin which might reduce in case of green products.

8. CONCLUSION

In the competitive world, the Indian market has to take drastic measures in order to revive its veteran naturally rich past.

‘Everything in this world comes with a price tag’ so are the green products, which are having a non-detrimental effect on the environment, but are a bit heavy on the purse of the consumer. The fact about, a high price of an environment-friendly product is an incomplete statement, the Indian consumer looks on the monetary part of the product, the moment the consumer realizes about the product‟s future savings, he would not mind the initial comparatively heavy investment.

Definitely the Indian future lies in its rich past.

REFERENCES

1. http://ncsm.gov.in 2. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

3. http://www.world-nuclear.org/

4. http://www.amul.com/m/tree-plantation.

5. www.greenpeace.org/india/

6. http://www.who.int/airpollution/en/.

7. http://www.fibre2fashion.com 8. http://www.wiprolighting.com 9. http://www.tsmc.com