Conceptualization of Sustainability Marketing

Twenty first century is witnessing a growing concern towards society and environment along with the economic advantages of business. Sustainable development has emerged as global agenda for debate, discussions, research, planning and action programs. Business organizations are realizing to integrate sustainability dimension into their strategies. Sustainability marketing represents a paradigm shift in marketing thought process towards sustainable development in terms of triple bottom line - people, planet and profit. It has gradually evolved from an initial focus on exchange of products to selling, marketing organization, customer, societal and sustainability issues. The present paper is an attempt to conceptualize the evolution of sustainable marketing in the light of theoretical foundations. It presents a historical account of sustainability marketing, suggests a definition and proposes a conceptual framework to represent the interplay of multiple stakeholders in the whole process. The paper also provides important insights for scholars and practitioners.