In With The Old, Out With The New: Green Marketing And The Used Merchandise Sector

Abstract

This study explores the emergence of the used merchandise sector and its implications for green marketing. We demonstrate that although few consumers purchase green products based on environmental concerns, consumers who shop for used merchandise do so with these issues in mind. Examining consumer blogs, we uncover the relationship between the environmental movement and the growth of the used merchandise sector. Green marketing has failed to account for this shift, because it focuses on the consumption of green products rather than consumption reduction facilitated by the used merchandise sector and re-use market. To make a difference, green marketing must change emphasis from consumption to consumption reduction.