Sustainable Marketing and the Challenges of Green Marketing Communication: Survey of Consumer Attitudes and Buying Behaviour for Sustainable Products in the Czech Republic

Abstract

Sustainability is a term that resonates throughout society in the broadest sense: from countries across continents, individual actors within communities or states – business entities, educational institutions and households, and public administrations. This is because the earth is highly likely to become unviable if we do not pursue sustainability. So many are aware of this and see sustainability as an important and no doubt long-term megatrend that affects us all. Businesses are not standing on the sidelines either, although it must be acknowledged that sustainability and economics do not always go hand in hand; however, projects with various practical sustainability benefits can be found. Unfortunately, sustainability is sometimes perceived as a topic that can be exploited in marketing in the form of “greenwashing.” This article addresses the challenges of green marketing communication, and examples from the Czech Republic are presented. Questionnaires were conducted to analyze and evaluate consumers’ attitudes and buying behavior toward sustainable products in the Czech Republic.