Frank-Martin Belz and Birte Karstens

Strategic and Instrumental Sustainability Marketing
in the Western European Food Processing Industry:
Conceptual Framework and Hypotheses

Issues such as food safety, health, obesity, the natural environment, child labour, and labour conditions become increasingly important for the European food industry. On the one hand these developments represent risks for brand image and market shares, on the other hand they offer opportunities for food companies (e.g. organic food products, fair trade products, regional products, functional food). There are a lot of anecdotal evidence, illustrative cases and in-depth case studies of how food companies deal with these challenges for marketing. However, an international study focussing on sustainability marketing of food companies is still missing. The Professorship for Brewery and Food Industry Management at the Technische Universität München plans a representative study of the marketing responses to the health, ecological and social challenges in the European food industry. Key questions are:
�� To which degree and in which form do European food companies respond to the health, ecological and social challenges in marketing? Which strategies do they follow? How do they implement it? Do they introduce and market sustainable food products? (characteristics of sustainability marketing)
�� Why do European food companies take up sustainability marketing? Which are influencing factors? Which factors have a positive and negative influence on the success of sustainability marketing? (influencing factors of sustainability)
During summer 2005 the authors will propose specific hypotheses regarding sustainability marketing of food companies and develop a comprehensive conceptual framework, based on theory and previous empirical research. At the “Business Strategy and the Environment Conference 2005” in Leeds we would like to present the conceptual framework including the underlying hypotheses and discuss it with the participants. Based on the feedback we will modify the concepts. The empirical part of the research project (data gathering, analysis, and interpretation) will be conducted in early 2006.

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