Sustainability as a differentiation tool

With the current emphasis on sustainability, much attention has been placed (and some very good articles have been written) in the trade press on what growers can do to become more "sustainable." From a marketing standpoint, I tend to focus on whether or not sustainability can be a tool for differentiating products/firms in the marketplace. Click here for an introductory discussion and here for an example of a grower already attempting to use sustainability as a marketing platform. A current research project being conducted by colleagues at Purdue will answer part of the question regarding whether or not consumers are willing to pay more for plants that are produced in a more sustainable manner. More to follow on this topic later. In the meantime, you can check out previous posts on sustainability here.