The Importance of Green Marketing for Portuguese Companies in the Footwear Industry

Abstract

The concept of sustainability, with three pillars, environmental, social and economic appeared in the context of our society as a possible solution to our planet problems and challenges and it rapidly achieved the business world. Companies started to be committed to the future and to sustainability, adopting a business model that evaluates the consequences and impacts of its actions and contemplates social and environmental aspects in its financial vision (Aligleri et. al., 2009). Companies in the footwear industry are not an exception. If at an early stage, this industry was only concerned with fulfilment of the requirements established by environmental legislation, more recently it has been worried about the impact of its products and processes on the environment and has identified in these products a new business opportunity and a way to differentiate their products on the market. Through a qualitative research it will be possible to understand, from this paper, what strategies Portuguese companies in footwear industry adopt relatively to sustainability and environmental protection, namely in terms of green marketing strategies, and how these tools help them achieving a sustainable competitive advantage over the other competing products and firms in the market.