The Sustainability Pyramid: A Hierarchical Approach to Greater Sustainability and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals With Implications for Marketing Theory, Practice, and Public Policy

Abstract

Although research has explored ways to encourage sustainable consumption, many problems of unsustainable consumption remain, suggesting a need to reconsider current approaches to managing sustainability issues. This paper introduces the sustainability pyramid, which suggests that the goal of sustainable consumption and production—that is, UN SDG12—can be accomplished to a larger extent when a hierarchical approach is adopted to promote sustainability. The pyramid proposes that marketing efforts should prioritize the triple bottom line in the order of economic (prosperity), social (people), and environmental (planet) sustainability. This priority is targeted at persuading desired behavioral change among mainstream consumers, who are “the elephant in the room” for sustainability and are more likely to act on considerations that resonate with them more closely rather than distantly. The pyramid contends that marketing messages that prioritize environmental and social before economic considerations are unappealing to consumers at large. Instead, most consumers, in reality, must be convinced about the economic value of consuming sustainably before they can be expected to demand more socially and environmentally benign offerings. Such demand should create economies of scale and incentivize firms to offer such products. Implications for marketing theory, practice, and public policy conclude the paper.