The Role of Green Brands on Achieving 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (2030 SDGs)

Introduction

The concept of “sustainable development” has significantly impacted human life. World leaders have come to an agreement to achieve sustainable development in the long run for the benefit of the future. In 2015, the United Nations introduced the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to promote sustainability among individuals, governments, and businesses. The SDGs consist of 17 key goals that specific groups must attain by 2030. Figure 1 summarizes the 2030 SDGs and demonstrates the link between a sustainable future. Collaboration among individuals is essential in achieving sustainable development in the long term. Some of the main themes of the 2030 SDGs include poverty, hunger, equality, health, climate change, responsible consumption, sustainable communities, clean energy, clean water, and saving biodiversity (land and ocean). Each theme has its own goals and sub-goals that members of the United Nations must achieve. For instance, achieving Goal 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) requires the participation of individuals. Raising awareness about environmental quality and risks leads to more individuals adopting sustainable consumption patterns.

Figure 1.

2030 SDGs and sustainable future

(Authors based on Yıldırım, Bostancı and Yıldırım, 2023)

The rise of environmental values and responsibility among individuals is causing a shift in consumption patterns (Yıldırım et al., 2016; Yildirim, 2020). Many consumers are seeking alternative solutions to the environmental issues that pose a threat to all life on earth. This increased environmental awareness is reflected in the purchasing behavior of consumers, who are now more likely to adopt sustainable consumption patterns. Enterprises can no longer ignore the rise of sustainable consumption patterns, as green marketing and sustainable brands have been on the rise for decades (Özcan and Özgül, 2019). The concept of sustainability has led to a change in consumption behaviors and consumer attitudes (Young et al., 2010; Aydın and Tufan, 2018). As consumers become more sensitive to the environment and the impact of products on it, environmental and health factors have become important criteria in purchasing decisions. Marketing managers face the challenge of measuring consumers' sensitivity to the environment and adapting product and sales policies accordingly. This requires conducting marketing research and developing new marketing strategies. While researching product ranges suitable for nature, recycling of all kinds of products and packaging, they started to emphasize the environment and nature theme in their collections (Öndogan, 2018). Many researchers stated that consumers were satisfied with the products and activities of businesses that did not harm the environment. However, consumers should not lose sight of product quality, as they associate prices with quality while making their purchasing decision. Consumers are not only looking for green products that claim environmental values, but also for quality products (Eti, 2017). Consumers' purchase and demand for environmentally friendly goods and services can generally be termed as green consumerism. On the other side, there some difficulties in defining green consumerism in the market. Providing less waste, less environmental damage, being not harmful for animal or human health are key elements for green products. Accordingly, green consumers want to buy this kinds of products in the market (Yıldırım and Candan, 2015; Conserve Energy Future, n.d.; Industry Insights, 2020). Therefore, it is not sufficient to provide only the principle of sustainability in the green goods or services produced; At the same time, it is important that the green product has the quality to meet the demands and needs (Yıldırım and Candan, 2015; Eti, 2017).