The Effects of Green Marketing on Startups’ Internationalization: five case studies of Italian Startup companies

Abstract

Sustainability and environmentally friendly practices have played an increasingly important part in society in recent years, and green habits are becoming more present as a result of environmental disasters and the shortage of resources. Furthermore, this sustainable tendency has impacted the corporate environment as well. Companies, in fact, now understand that they must adjust their strategy to favor a more sustainable business model if they wish to stay relevant in the market. Among all the types of business organizations, startup companies are more likely to adopt a sustainable business model due to their tendency to be more innovative and globalized. Moreover, this study aims to analyze how green marketing affects the internationalization process of startup companies, as well as how the use of green marketing techniques might affect a company's competitive advantage and perceived corporate image. Semi-structured interviews were performed with five Italian startups to determine the extent to which they apply sustainable business conduct and implement green marketing strategies. The study investigates whether startups have achieved competitive advantages in developing green marketing strategies and whether these factors affect the internationalization process. In addition, the study wants to investigate if greenwashing might alter the impression of green marketing operations. According to the empirical data, the case studies revealed a significant level of adoption of sustainable practices in startup companies. Adopting a sustainable business strategy, in particular, helps businesses to obtain various competitive advantages and a positive brand image that helps them to have some advantages against competitors. The three main factors of this research influence the internationalization of startup companies positively.