Environmental Marketing and Sustainable Development in the Niger Delta: Corporate Responsibility and Policy Perspectives

Environmental degradation, social unrest, and uneven development in Nigeria’s Niger Delta have intensified calls for innovative, sustainability-driven strategies that reconcile economic activity with environmental responsibility. Hence, this study aims to critically examine how environmental marketing functions as a strategic instrument for advancing sustainable development in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region. Adopting a qualitative content analysis approach, the research analyzed 50 purposively selected documents published between 2013 and 2024, including peer-reviewed articles, corporate sustainability reports, and government policy papers. Findings revealed that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) emerged as the dominant environmental marketing theme, cited in 85% of reviewed materials, followed by eco-friendly product promotion (72%), environmental certifications (60%), and stakeholder engagement (55%). These findings demonstrate a growing awareness of sustainability underscore the limited translation of policy into practice. The study further mapped environmental marketing initiatives against the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), identifying the strongest alignments with SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and SDG 13 (Climate Action), while SDG 15 (Life on Land) received less emphasis, exposing a gap in biodiversity-centered marketing strategies. Analytical interpretation, grounded in Kotler’s Societal Marketing Concept and Peattie’s Sustainable Marketing Model, suggests that environmental marketing in the Niger Delta often remains surface-level—driven more by branding imperatives than by genuine ecological accountability. Key challenges identified include weak regulatory enforcement, minimal community participation, and insufficient transparency in environmental data reporting. It concludes that environmental marketing must transition from symbolic CSR to a participatory, evidence-based practice grounded in transparency, localized green innovation, and community engagement. While, It recommends stronger policy enforcement, inclusive stakeholder collaboration, and integration of environmental education into corporate and governmental sustainability programs.