Sustainable Marketing Chapter 4

What is biomimicry?

A:

Biomimicry = learning from nature to solve problems.

Example:
🐦 Birds can fly → humans learned from birds and made airplanes.

What are the three principles of biomimicry?

🌿 Nature as a model = Copy nature

Example: 🐦 Birds can fly, so humans made airplanes.

📏 Nature as a measure = See if something works well like nature

Example: 🌳 Nature creates very little waste, so products should too.

👩‍🏫 Nature as a mentor = Learn from nature

Example: 🌸 Scientists study flowers and plants to get new ideas.

Possible MCQ:

What does Nature as a model mean?

a) Ignore nature

b) Copy ideas from nature ✅

c) Destroy nature

d) Use more resources

What is the Lotus Effect?

🌸 Lotus Effect = the lotus flower stays clean by itself.

Companies copy this idea to make self-cleaning products.

Example:
🌧 Water rolls off the leaf and takes dirt with it.

Possible MCQ:

What is the Lotus Effect?

a) A flower that needs cleaning

b) A natural self-cleaning effect ✅

c) A recycling process

d) A type of energy source

What is Cradle-to-Cradle?

♻ Cradle-to-Cradle = nothing becomes waste.

Old products are used to make new products.

Example:
🥤 An old bottle is turned into a new bottle.

Possible MCQ:

According to Cradle-to-Cradle, products should be designed to:

a) Become waste after use

b) Be used once

c) Become resources for new products ✅

d) Use more raw materials

What is Design for the Environment (DFE)?

🌱 Design for the Environment (DFE) = designing products that are better for the environment.

Focus on:

♻ Reuse

♻ Recycle

🔧 Easy to take apart

Example:
🪑 A chair can be taken apart and recycled.

Possible MCQ:

Which product best follows Design for the Environment (DFE)?

a) A product that is hard to repair

b) A product that can be taken apart and recycled ✅

c) A product used once and thrown away

d) A product with more packaging than needed

What are the three DFE focus areas?

A:

🧪 Material chemistry = use safer and better materials.

Example:
A toy is made without harmful chemicals.

🔧 Disassembly = easy to take apart.

Example:
A chair can be unscrewed into different parts.

♻ Recyclability = easy to recycle.

Example:
A plastic bottle can be turned into a new bottle.

Possible MCQ:

Which of the following is an example of disassembly?

a) Using safer materials

b) Taking a product apart easily ✅

c) Throwing a product away

d) Buying a new product every year

What is the Defensive Approach to sustainability?

A:

❌ Defensive Approach = a company does not want to change.

The company thinks sustainability may cost too much money.

Example:
A company argues against new environmental rules.

Possible MCQ:

A company says environmental rules will hurt profits and should not be introduced. Which approach is this?

a) Proactive

b) Reactive

c) Defensive ✅

d) Circular Economy

What is the Reactive Approach?

⏳ Reactive Approach = a company waits before making changes.

The company only changes when it is forced to.

Example:
A company starts reducing pollution only after a new law is introduced.

Possible MCQ:

A company only changes its environmental practices after new government rules are introduced. Which approach is this?

a) Defensive

b) Reactive ✅

c) Proactive

d) Circular Economy

What is the Proactive Approach?

A:

✅ Proactive Approach = a company acts before it is forced to.

The company sees sustainability as an opportunity, not a problem.

Example:
A company reduces pollution before any new law requires it.

Possible MCQ:

What is a key characteristic of a proactive company?

a) It waits for criticism

b) It opposes environmental rules

c) It acts before it is forced to ✅

d) It ignores sustainability

Difference between Defensive, Reactive, and Proactive?

A:

❌ Defensive = Fight sustainability

⏳ Reactive = Wait until forced

✅ Proactive = Act early

Memory Tip:
Fight → Wait → Lead

Possible MCQ:

Put the approaches in order from least to most sustainability-focused:

a) Reactive → Defensive → Proactive

b) Defensive → Reactive → Proactive ✅

c) Proactive → Reactive → Defensive

d) Reactive → Proactive → Defensive

What is a Circular Economy?

A:

♻ A circular economy means using things again instead of throwing them away.

Goal:

• Less waste

• Reuse things

• Recycle things

Example:
📱 Repair an old phone instead of buying a new one.

Possible MCQ:

Which action best supports a circular economy?

a) Throwing away a working phone

b) Repairing and reusing a phone ✅

c) Buying a new phone every year

d) Using more resources

What is WA3RM?

A:

WA3RM is a Swedish company that turns waste into useful things.

Example:
🍅 Heat from factories is used to grow tomatoes.

Possible MCQ:

WA3RM is an example of:

a) Creating more waste

b) Using waste as a resource ✅

c) Planned obsolescence

d) Greenwashing

What are the 4Rs of sustainability?

A:

♻ Reduce = Use less

♻ Reuse = Use again

♻ Recycle = Make something new from old materials

♻ Recover = Make energy from waste

Possible MCQ:

Which order is correct?

a) Reduce → Reuse → Recycle → Recover ✅

b) Recycle → Reduce → Reuse → Recover

c) Recover → Recycle → Reduce → Reuse

d) Reuse → Recover → Reduce → Recycle

What are the 5 key steps in a circular economy?

A:

1. Use less

2. Reuse more

3. Make products last longer

4. Recycle more

5. Recover resources

Example:
👕 Use clothes longer and recycle them when finished.

Possible MCQ:

Which action helps create a circular economy?

a) Throw products away quickly

b) Design products to last longer ✅

c) Use more resources

d) Increase waste

What is planned obsolescence?

A:

Products are made to stop working sooner.

Example:
📱 A battery is hard to replace.

Memory Tip:
Break sooner = buy again.

Possible MCQ:

Which situation is an example of planned obsolescence?

a) A product lasts 20 years

b) A battery is difficult to replace ✅

c) A product is repaired

d) A product is reused

Why should products be designed for a longer lifecycle?

A:

Products that last longer create less waste.

Example:
💻 A repairable laptop lasts longer.

Possible MCQ:

What is one benefit of products lasting longer?

a) More waste

b) Less waste ✅

c) More pollution

d) More resources used

Why is food waste a sustainability problem?

A:

A lot of food is thrown away even though it could be eaten.

🌍 About 1/3 of all food is lost or wasted every year.

🌫 Up to 10% of global greenhouse gases come from food that is never eaten.

🍽 Wasted food could feed almost half of the world's population.

Food waste is caused by:

• Low prices

• Ignorance

• Habits

• Lifestyle

Example:
🍎 Good food is thrown in the trash.

Possible MCQ:

About how much of the world's food is lost or wasted?

a) 10%

b) 25%

c) About one-third ✅

d) 75%

How can food waste become a resource?

A:

Food waste can become:

⚡ Energy

🌱 Fertilizer

Example:
Food scraps → Energy + Fertilizer

Possible MCQ:

Food waste can be turned into:

a) Plastic

b) Biogas and fertilizer ✅

c) Metal

d) Concrete

What is Life-Cycle Analysis (LCA)?

A:

LCA studies a product's impact from start to finish.

It includes:

• Materials

• Manufacturing

• Transport

• Use

• Disposal

Example:
📱 Looking at the impact of a phone from production to disposal.

Possible MCQ:

What does an LCA study?

a) Only production

b) Only transport

c) The whole life of a product ✅

d) Only recycling

What are the three ways to influence sustainability?

💰 Market solutions = Use prices to change behavior.

Example: Plastic bags become more expensive.
🚬 Harmful products become more expensive.

🏛 Policy instruments = Government rules and laws.

Example: A carbon tax.

• Taxes

• Laws

• Subsidies

🤝 Collaboration = Different groups work together.

Example: Companies and governments work together to reduce pollution.

Possible MCQ:

Which is NOT one of the three ways to influence sustainability?

a) Market solutions

b) Policy instruments

c) Collaboration

d) Planned obsolescence ✅

What is a subsidy?

A:

Money or support from the government to encourage something.

Example:
🚗 Discount for buying an electric car.

Memory Tip:
Government helps pay.

Possible MCQ:

What is a subsidy?

a) A punishment fee

b) Government support to encourage behavior ✅

c) A recycling process

d) A company strategy

What is a linear economy?

A:

➡ Take resources → Make products → Use them → Throw them away.

Example:
Buy a phone → Use it → Throw it away.

Memory Tip:
Take → Make → Waste.

Possible MCQ:

What is a linear economy?

a) Reuse and recycle everything

b) Take resources, use products, and throw them away ✅

c) Only recycle products

d) Use no resources

What are the 9Rs?

What are the 9Rs?

A:

1⃣ Refuse = Don't use unnecessary resources

2⃣ Reduce = Use less

3⃣ Reuse = Use again

4⃣ Repair = Fix products

5⃣ Refurbish = Make old products better

6⃣ Remanufacture = Make new products from old parts

7⃣ Repurpose = Use something for a new purpose

8⃣ Recycle = Make new materials from old materials

9⃣ Recover energy = Get energy from waste

Example:
👕 Repairing a shirt instead of buying a new one = Repair.

Possible MCQ:

Which of the following is part of the 9R framework but NOT one of the 4Rs?

a) Recycle

b) Reduce

c) Repair ✅

d) Recover