It’s December 2021 and we are in a climate crisis. A decade ago, we wouldn’t have used such definitive terms, but it’s unavoidable now. The accelerated release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into our atmosphere in the past 50 years is catching up with us. Ocean level rise, melting glaciers, extreme weather events, droughts, soil/air/water pollution, and heat affect our very presence on this planet.
The fossil fuel, agriculture, transportation, and energy industries are the primary drivers of carbon emissions, but the consumption by the populations of “first world countries” is partly what is driving the demand for the products created by these industries.
Digital marketing is not without blame. Digital marketing contributes to the climate crisis in a few ways:
Promoting companies that have harmful effects on people and the planet.
The cloud storage that runs the internet is housed in huge, air conditioned warehouses that use enormous amounts of energy (and most of our energy is still produced by burning fossil fuels).
Greenwashing of services and products instead of demanding real and substantial change from polluters large and small.
Our devices (laptops, tablets, smart phones) are run on rare earth minerals, materials that are destructively mined in third world countries.
Driving “demand” to meet the excessive supply of products like clothes, cosmetics, toys, and other consumer goods. As marketers, it’s our job to convince people to buy things, whether they need them or not (usually this is done through stoking fear, competition, body-shaming, etc.).
Why is FGM Internet Marketing different?
Hey, we’re not perfect, and we’re not about purity tests here at FGM Internet Marketing. What we can promise is that we’re considerate of how we manage our office supplies and our consumption. You’ll likely find me and Ben drinking out of our reusable water bottles and coffee thermos, and we’re moving towards paper-free work in 2022. In the meantime, all paper at the FGM home office is composted in our worm and/or heap composting setups.
Beyond what we do personally, we want to create the better world we dream of. In terms of FGM Internet Marketing’s clientelle, we do not work with or specialize in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), also known as consumer packaged goods (CPG). We do not use scare tactics or greenwashing to sell our customers’ products and services. At every turn, we are ethical in the advertising and content that we publish.
Taking it one step further, FGM Internet Marketing purposely seeks to work with clients in the following spaces:
Brands with a circular economy outlook. This includes accounting for the product from sourcing materials and the mode of production, to shipping methods, the packing used, and how to dispose of or fix the product once it’s unusable. We must think about the entire lifecycle of a product.
Organizations in the food sovereignty arena, be it regenerative agriculture, community gardens, farmers markets, or restoring foodways.
Promoting indigenous lifeways, outlooks, and medicine.
Bicycle and pedestrian safety advocacy, or anything to make transportation in this country more accessible, equitable, and less reliant on the private automobile.
Outdoors brands that help people get back to nature – think hiking, paddling, etc.
Educational orgs to empower people to make personal changes, but also hold the big polluters accountable and demand cultural and systemic changes.
