International green marketing: A comparative study of British and Romanian firms

Abstract

Purpose

The market of ecological products is growing exponentially at global level, however, there are very few studies focused on the international marketing strategies of eco‐firms. Seeks to address the issues.

Design/methodology/approach

On the basis of the information collected during interviews conducted with six British and six Romanian eco‐firms with international activity, the main opportunities and challenges for international green marketing are identified and analysed.

Findings

The findings show important differences between the Romanian and the British firms, mainly determined by the level of development of their domestic market. The Romanian firms usually export ecological products using foreign agents, while the British firms sell internationally using their own brand name and attempting to control the foreign distribution channels. The similarity of the foreign market selection process applied by the UK eco‐firms has allowed the development of a tentative theoretical framework in the second part of the paper.

Originality/value

The paper provides insights into the issues surrounding the marketing of ecological products in the international marketplace.

Citation

Gurău, C. and Ranchhod, A. (2005), "International green marketing: A comparative study of British and Romanian firms", International Marketing Review, Vol. 22 No. 5, pp. 547-561. https://doi.org/10.1108/02651330510624381