Evaluation of green marketing strategies by considering sustainability criteria

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to identify and prioritize green marketing strategies in the food industry by taking sustainability goals into consideration since it is very difficult to prioritize and select green marketing strategies when considering sustainability criteria in their implementation. Therefore, it is necessary to use an appropriate solution to prioritize these strategies. For this purpose, sustainability criteria and green marketing strategies are recognized. Then, sustainability criteria are screened using the fuzzy Delphi method. Subsequently, using the fuzzy stepwise weight assessment ratio analysis method, the criteria are weighted according to expert recommendations. Next, green marketing strategies in the Iranian food industry are ranked using several fuzzy multiple criteria decision-making methods: fuzzy additive ratio assessment, fuzzy complex proportional assessment, fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to the ideal solution, and fuzzy Viekriterijumsko Kompromisno Rangiranje methods. Finally, the results are integrated with the help of the Copeland method to choose the best strategies. The results indicated that the criteria of ‘minimizing waste’, ‘minimizing environmental impacts’, and ‘consumer participation’ had the highest weight. In addition, the strategies for the ‘development of waste reduction technology, ‘development of market research to detect green needs’, and ‘use of recycled or reusable materials in products’ received a higher rank.