Making eco-friendly products the default is the goal of eco-conscious marketing. But how do you go about achieving this goal when the world is inundated with plastic as the result of unsustainable consumption?
It takes individual change. Today, we are sitting down with a person who is planning a global project centered around creating eco-friendly sales models, co-author of a textbook on conflict and mindset management, owner of the Digital Marketing Center agency – Anna Kokhanets.
On top of everything mentioned above, Anna is a successful entrepreneur, blogger and cosmopolitan.
Originally from Ukraine, she is now based in the US where she studies the English language and culture to be able to carry out her future book projects. Previously, Anna had lived in England, Germany and Italy. An explorer at heart, Anna looks at the world as a library where each country resembles a bookshelf that contains new knowledge.
Anna, 10 year ago they called you the pioneer of digital marketing in Ukraine. You taught entrepreneurs how to promote and grow their businesses online without any programming knowledge. What has changed since then? What are you working on now?
Doing my best to keep up with tech trends. In the past, I was fortunate enough to foresee the direction
in which the industry was headed. These days, every second website is created with the help of a no-code website building platform. That’s exactly what we did in Kiev back in 2010. Now, my goal is to change the global approach to selling products and services. I want marketing to be, first and foremost, ecologically and ethically oriented.
Does your new venture have anything to do with the pandemic? What message are you trying to communicate?
Socially conscious brands have always taken ecological concerns seriously but the pandemic has definitely drawn more public attention to the issue of ecology. I believe, in the near future, all brands however small will have to identify with certain values including ecological ones. You just won’t be able to stay viable otherwise.
Can you give us an example?
Sure. Imagine that you use only electric cars, wear all-natural fabric clothing and organic makeup, and eat organic food. What impact can this have on the market? Well, it would start a major shift in how we view ecology. If we assume for a moment that every third person will start doing all of the things I just mentioned, that would very soon put an end to the age of mindless consumption and usher in the age of conscious sustainable living.
What about the clothes that you personally wear. Do they send any particular message?
They do. I think we’ll soon be able to identify another eco-conscious person in a crowd based on which outfit they’re wearing. Clothing in general has always been a medium through which we express ourselves. By picking a certain outfit, you are, whether consciously or unconsciously, conveying a message “I belong to such and such group of people” and “I have such and such values”. This hoodie I’m wearing is 100% organically sourced, zero waste, no azo dye. When it gets too worn out to wear, I can bury it in the ground where it will turn into compost. The planet shouldn’t suffer aggressive clothing waste just because someone greedy had produced a ton of hoodies that they didn’t manage to sell.
Are you going to implement this eco-friendly approach in your new global project?
Absolutely. There is a notion called sharing economy – this is not only a new lifestyle but also a new viable business model which implies trading and sharing products and services using modern technology.
It’s really not that big of a leap from our existing habits and behaviors. Uber, Airbnb, TaskRabbit – all of these businesses are hinged on service sharing.
Companies like these have altered our perception of comfort and efficiency. But I think we need more eco-brands and business eco-positioning. I am convinced that this is the right way forward. And we are the ones making it happen right here and now.
I actually really love living in this age. I think we have the power to make the world cleaner and healthier, to put an end to overproduction, compulsive purchasing and unsustainable consumption of goods and services. And I’m optimistic. I think we can do it!
For more information about Anna