Effect of green marketing strategies on deforestation: a case study of governments’ policies on ECO charcoal in Bukavu

Abstract

Green marketing has received growing attention in various countries and organisations; this has been attributed by environmental raising issue such as deforestation of both the amazon and Congo Forest. A better understanding of this concept will enable governments’ agencies, county assemblies in solving related problem. Research has shown that green marketing is fundamental for environmental issues such as deforestation. The purpose of this research was to find out the effect of green marketing and especially marketing of eco charcoal on deforestation in the DRC. The objectives of the study entailed identifying the driver’s favouring deforestation, determining the effect of Green Marketing on both practices, and establishing the most effective Green Marketing strategies on deforestation in Bukavu through ecological charcoal marketing. The study used Maslow Hierarchy of Needs, Planned Behaviour and Behavioural Changes theories in which descriptive research design was adopted, with a target population of 25,935 respondents, classified on seventy-one (71) charcoal sellers in Bukavu, more precisely a documented number of nine hundred and thirty-five (935) Households (Business List, 2017), seven (7) Transportation Network Companies that supply charcoal at Ibanda commune in Bukavu. Purposive and snow balling sampling technique will be used and a 10% sample size of 278 respondents will be obtained. The researcher employed a correlation analysis to determine the relationship between the dependent and independent variables. The study found out that 249 (94.7%) were aware of green marketing, eco charcoal or deforestation implying the right information was provided, most respondents 251(95.4%) relied on wood charcoal as source of energy and recommended that the government need to continue educating the population by involving more community leaders & encouraging wood businesses to go green.