Sustainability is a huge topic in B2B marketing. Which is why it’s important for companies to act in an environmentally conscious manner, as a way to boost their image. Green services support you in saving raw materials, lowering energy consumption and making ecological responsibility a reality.
Definition of green services
Social, ecological and economical – according to a survey by Fraunhofer Institut für Arbeitswirtschaft und Organisation (IAO) (German only), these are the three key aspects of green services. At the same time, they are criteria which – parallel to private end consumers – are becoming more and more important to B2B business partners. After all, companies which act in a sustainable manner are considered role models and enjoy a good image. Which is why the eco-friendly and responsible handling of raw materials and manufacturing has become a key element of B2B marketing, in other words corporate social responsibility.
Here are a few areas relevant for green services:
- Energy efficiency
- IT systems (green IT)
- Transport
- Manufacturing
- Packaging
- Storage
- Disposal
- Administration (green office)
In the viewpoint of the IAO, the institute for industrial engineering and organisation, these and additional green services play a role in numerous service areas. These include:
- Trade
- Transport
- Logistics
- Tourism, hotel and restaurant
- Energy
- Information and communication technology
- Industry
Five examples of green services
Energy-saving services should aim to lower the consumption of power. Wherever possible, it is also about the use of alternatives with renewable energy. To achieve this goal, the service providers rely on individual consultation. They analyse on site areas such as manufacturing, lighting, energy management and HVAC. At the same time, they reveal potential for saving energy and develop solution recommendations.
Green IT aims to make the idea of sustainability a reality in information and communication technology. Here, too, it is about saving energy first and foremost. The focus, however, is not only on the actual technology for data processing, such as the optimisation of consumption or the avoidance of paper with the use of digital document management like e-billing. The focus is also on smart IT concepts which make it possible to intelligently control the energy consumption of buildings, for instance, and thus minimise it.
Green logistics lowers the energy consumption in the transport industry. This, too, takes place with IT support. With the help of AI-driven planning, empty trips and inefficient routes can be avoided or storage capacities can be utilised better. Additional approaches are energy-saving drivetrains or turbine technologies, as well as ecologic solutions for packaging, disposal and purchasing handling for end consumers.
Green online marketing is more than just communicating the resource-friendly actions of a company to the public. It is also about the responsible handling of data and the interests of users, as well as more transparency in communication and its mechanisms. Within this context, the critical observance of the big-name multipliers plays an important role as well. These are the global players Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon, or GAFA for short.
Smart maintenance collects data about industrial machinery via IoT. The analysis of the digital information then provides insights into when, for example, a machine requires servicing or parts have to be replaced. Decisive here is the actual need and not the automatic exchange of parts according to strict intervals. Closely tied to this is the repair of individual damages instead of changing entire units.
Green online marketing is more than just communicating the resource-friendly actions of a company to the public. It is also about the responsible handling of data and the interests of users, as well as more transparency in communication and its mechanisms. Within this context, the critical observance of the big-name multipliers plays an important role as well. These are the global players Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon, or GAFA for short.
Smart maintenance collects data about industrial machinery via IoT. The analysis of the digital information then provides insights into when, for example, a machine requires servicing or parts have to be replaced. Decisive here is the actual need and not the automatic exchange of parts according to strict intervals. Closely tied to this is the repair of individual damages instead of changing entire units.
