The concept of sustainability has moved to centre stage in recent years generating much public discussion and increased the focus on firm impacts and responsibilities and consumer choice processes. Increased awareness of the significant environmental degradation, decline of natural systems and resources along with community, national and global social inequalities has placed a focus on sustainable business practices. For many it would seem that marketing has been perceived as part of the problem rather than the solution to issues such as pollution, over consumption, the depletion of natural resource, unhealthy lifestyles, and human rights abuses. However markets provide a coordinating mechanism through which change takes place. Importantly marketing systems provide the crucial link between market participants including individuals, households, managers and firms.

This course evaluates the role of marketing and marketers by examining how firms create value, reduce risk and build sustainable thinking and processes into their marketing activities and strategies as they respond to opportunities and threats that arise from both social, economic and environmental change, and changing consumers attitudes and behaviour. Sustainable marketing requires a rethink of the assumptions that underlie traditional marketing practices and therefore presents a new paradigm through a holistic integrative approach that puts equal emphasis on environmental, social equity and economic / financial concerns in the development of marketing strategies and tactics.