Marketing and the ecological crisis

This provocative description of how consumption modifications can reduce rising environmental stresses clearly shows how marketing technology can contribute to revising lifestyles and gaining acceptance of ecological imperatives for human survival. The author raises vital questions about using marketing technology as a viable alternative to coercive proposals for assuring compliance to ecological sanctions. His timely explanation of the theory and practice of responsible consumption includes proposals for limiting ownership of durables and for lengthening product life. Among the other topics explored are marketing as a social process and market-directed resource allocation, marketing as a provisioning technology - product planning, packaging, and distribution are all discussed - and programs for implementing ecological objectives and introducing ecologically benign technologies.