NEWS听– Environmental problems have received great attention recently, especially about the increasing number of plastic waste in several countries.听In a wider scope, there is greater threat to the environment on earth.
It is marked by the diminishing natural resources, depleting ozone layer, narrowing tropical rainforest, and reducing non-renewable energy, including the increasing air and water pollution and waste problems.
Prof. Dr. Tanti Handriana, S.E., M.Si in her professorship inauguration speech said that in the last 50 years, 60 percent of the earth’s ecosystem has been drained.听Natural resource consumption is expected to increase three to six times by 2050. Meanwhile, the population is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050.
“One of the causes of environmental damage is from our behavior as living beings,” Prof. Tanti said.
“We act as consumers, both in consuming products in the form of goods and products in the form of services,” she added.
Therefore, said Prof. Tanti, understanding consumer behavior is very important.听The concept of consumer behavior is defined as a process involving individuals and groups, in terms of choosing, buying, using, or disposing products, services or experiences.听Its special purpose is to satisfy needs and desires.
Based on this concept, community awareness about green behavior is very important to build, especially as an effort to deal with various threats to the environment.听It is important to raise people檚 awareness about green behavior, 听either as consumers (听green buying behavior听), and as business people (听marketing people).
听Green marketing
Prof. Tanti explained,听Green marketing听is a company effort to design, determine, distribute and promote products by paying attention to environmental protection.听The听green marketing concept听has existed since at least the first Earth Day commemorated, in 1970.
“Environmental problems and consumer demand for green products are driving factors for the rise of听green marketing,” she said.
The aim is to achieve balance between the objective of sales and profits as well as a form of concern for the community and the environment.听Green marketing is beneficial for companies as producers, such as ensuring long-term sustainable growth and profitability and saving money in the long run.
Companies that implement听green marketing, said Prof. Tanti, will produce the听green products that do not pollute the earth, do not damage natural resources, and can be recycled.
“A product is considered as a ‘green’ product if it meets the criteria: saving water and energy, preventing the contribution of pollution to air, water and land;听protecting indoor air quality;听using renewable raw materials;听producing small environmental impacts;听and produced in an environmental friendly process, ” Prof. Tanti explained.
听Green Buying Behavior
Meanwhile, from the consumer side, there is听green buying behavior which avoids products that endanger the health of consumers or other parties and products that cause significant damage to the environment during the manufacture, use and disposal of products.
“Including products that cause unnecessary waste and products that use materials derived from endangered species,” she added.
Based on the definition of consumer behavior, continued Prof. Tanti,听green buying behavior听covers all stages of consumers in consuming a product (both goods and services) which are environmental-oriented, starting from the product selection phase to product disposal.
“For example, recently the campaign to stop using plastic straws has been encouraged,” she said.
Based on Divers Clean Action data, daily use of straws reaches 93,244,847.听If they are connected, the straws can cover the distance from Jakarta to Papua five times.
“It triggers the emergence of creative ideas to replace plastic straws with environmentally friendly straws,” she said.
Prof. Tanti hoped the community will participate actively in this positive effort and be consumers that protect the earth.
“On the other hand, for consumers who have not implemented green behaviour, let’s start from the simple things around us,” she said.
Prof. Tanti said that it can be done by turning off the lights when going outdoors, bringing our own shopping bags when shopping in traditional or modern markets (minimarkets, supermarkets, and听hypermarkets听), saving water usage, using energy-saving lamps and electronic devices, and limiting the use of plastic straws.
“Thus, consumer awareness of the听green buying behavior听and the implementation of听green marketing听concepts听from business people and government support will create a sustainable and comfortable environment.听Including creating a healthy life in general and creating efficiency and profitability for business people, ” she said.听(*)
Author: Feri Fenoria
