Abstract

Sustainability is becoming increasingly important in the consumer goods market and has a significant influence on the strategic orientation of companies. Especially in highly competitive and saturated markets, companies are faced with the challenge of differentiating themselves from competitors through ecological and sustainable positioning. This thesis examines the possibilities and limits of green marketing in the competitive consumer goods market and analyzes how competitive intelligence (CI) can support companies in identifying and strategically exploiting ecological differentiation potentials. The study is based on a systematic literature analysis that combines theoretical approaches to green marketing, sustainability-oriented consumer behaviour and CI as a strategic analysis tool. The results show that green marketing can create a wide range of competitive advantages, in particular through sustainable product design, transparent communication, stronger customer loyalty and improved brand positioning. CI enables companies to identify market changes, consumer expectations and competitive dynamics at an early stage and to derive strategic recommendations for action from them. At the same time, the analysis highlights key challenges, including the skepticism of many consumers about sustainability promises, the so-called sustainability attitude-behavior gap, and the risks of greenwashing, which can affect credibility and trust in sustainable brands. KEYWORDS Green marketing, competitive intelligence, opportunities for differentiation, positioning, competitive consumer goods market.

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