Correspondence: Arminda M. Finisterra do Paço, Department of Business and Economics, Research Unit NECE, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã 6200-209, Portugal. E-mail: apaco@ubi.pt

¹has obtained her PhD in Management and is an assistant professor and researcher in the Business and Economics Department of Beira Interior University, Portugal. Her research interests are green marketing, public and non-profit marketing, social marketing and entrepreneurship education.

²has obtained his PhD in Management and is a full professor in the Business and Economics Department of Beira Interior University. He is Coordinator of the research unit NECE, coordinator of the Transfer Technology Office, vice-president for Portugal of the European Council for Small Business and vice-council of the university. His research interests are marketing and entrepreneurship.

³has obtained his BSc, PhD, DSc and DL and heads the Research and Transfer Centre 'Applications of Life Sciences' at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences in Hamburg, Germany. His research interests are on environmental management, corporate social responsibility, marketing and the connections between climate and behaviour.

Received 16 November 2008; Revised 16 November 2008; Published online 9 February 2009.

Abstract

The modern world has led consumers to become increasingly concerned about the environment. Such concerns have begun to be displayed in their purchasing patterns, with consumers increasingly preferring to buy so-called 'environmentally friendly products'. Marketing managers have in turn recognised the strategic importance of marketing in finding responses to the 'environmental needs' of consumers due to the influence this may have on their consumption habits. The growing number of organisations entering the green product market also indicates the need for suitable segmentation and positioning strategies. This paper focuses on the identification of distinct market segments. Through the use of variables related to the environment, as well as demographic variables, the segments that are occupied by consumers with different sensitivities to environmental matters are identified, and the possible implications of these results for the marketing strategies of companies are also discussed.