Do Environmental Practices of Enterprises Constitute an Authentic Green Marketing Strategy? A Case Study from Mexico

Abstract

Private enterprises have responded to the increasing concern about environmental deterioration by implementing green actions with different grades of efficacy in terms of environmental and business performance. The aim of this work was to outline how firms that operate in a context with weak social and governmental pressures like Mexico are considering environmental issues into their strategies. By using a qualitative research approach, this study collected information of multiple cases comprising multinationals, Mexican firms with international operations and Mexican firms with local operations. Information was analyzed to get a deep understanding about how 4Ps of product, price, place (distribution) and promotion (communication) of the traditional marketing mix are addressed via green practices. The two dominant greening strategies identified, “resource savings and waste reduction” and “certification and acknowledgment of environmental responsibility”, reflect a short-term perspective driven by immediate economic and legitimacy benefits. A well structured green marketing strategy was not identified even for large multinationals.