There’s a fine line between communicating a shopping centre’s commitment to sustainability and greenwashing. Marketers know where it lies and consumers do too. Yet in an industry that is focused on consumption, it’s easy for that line to conveniently shift or disappear entirely.
Some might say that it’s simply a matter of trial and error, or a case of marketers attempting to do their best in an area that is relatively knew. There is certainly some truth to that. But there is another element that can lead marketers astray: the simple fact that consumers aren’t necessarily any more committed to making the changes necessary to ensure sustainability than the stores and shopping centres they visit are.
The danger is for marketers to lower their standards and put out a few feel-good releases about green endeavours, even if they know that the big picture is somewhat grimmer.
Marketers aren’t environmental specialists and they shouldn’t be expected to know everything about what constitutes a truly green centre, or which improvements are groundbreaking initiatives in the industry. It is important, however, for marketers to seek advice from experts in the field; people who can paint an accurate picture of a centre’s progress toward sustainability.
For now, shoppers will be okay with marketers presenting centres as being green as long as there are a few measures in place to back up the claims. But there will come a day when a centre’s green credentials will be assessed based on much more than recycling and efficient energy management. One day, a centre’s retail roster might also come under scrutiny, making it the marketer’s business to know what goes on behind shop doors and what the centre’s retailers’ and suppliers’ green credentials are.
As speakers pointed out during the ICSC’s recent European conference, retail can play a leading role in global sustainability. Perhaps the first step is in keeping the line between reality and a contrived brand image as clear as possible.