ISM AND ISEG MBA - Développement durable

give a human approach. This serves to demonstrate at individual level that these firms wish to
associate themselves with the survival of planet Earth. This idea is from the neoclassical theory,
asserting that natural resources are capital because they constitute a store of indirect raw
materials which can be transformed by production into direct products. The neoclassical theory
does not consider nature as an unlimited reserve of natural resources; those present today are
being consumed five to ten times faster than the discovery rate of new resources.
Third, Green Marketing teaches an ethical or moral lesson to the « polluting » firms which
proliferates environmental deterioration. The objective is to portray the company in its true
colors. The company can decide by itself to go green, or can be obliged to do so under pressure
from consumer associations, from new policies, or from that of the N.G.O.'s, etc. To date, most
companies decide to spontaneously adopt this type of communication due to consumer
preference, this extending even into service companies such as banks and insurance.
Customers are then able to see that companies are demonstrating a common ethic in which each
generation has the right to enjoy at least the same quality of life as that of previous generations.
This aspect of Green Marketing shows that companies are not only interested in profit making,
but also in the survival of this planet and its inhabitants. This idea was tabled by Agenda 21
during the Earth conference held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. It put forward a global action plan for
sustainable development with three fundamental points: social equality; the environment; and the
economy. The following figure shows this concept.
Profits
People Planet
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