The Sustainability Marketing Canvas: from conceptual chaos to coherence

Abstract

Historically, marketing has made questionable impact upon environmental and social sustainability due to a conceptual and level-of-analysis fragmentation. This disjointedness not only impedes theoretical advancement but also hinders the implementation of coherent and sustainable actions. The challenges facing our planet - such as climate change, resource scarcity, biodiversity loss, and social degradation - necessitate a paradigm shift in production and consumption pat-terns. Marketing, as a discipline with broad interdisciplinary reach, is uniquely positioned to con-tribute to meaningful solutions to these sustainability challenges.This chapter introduces the need for and the logic of the Sustainability Marketing Canvas, a decision-making framework. It integrates the traditional 7Ps of marketing with the dimensions of Planet and People from the Triple Bottom Line. The logic of the Sustainability Marketing Canvas is further elucidated through an industrial taxonomy developed during a pilot study conducted at Hilti AG. The study, implemented across two of Hilti’s business units, aimed to facilitate measurability, comparability and strategic planning.