The research question how green marketing is used as a competitive advantage was answered by the analysis of the multiple case-study of two organizations of the boardsports industry, Jade and Notox. The comparison between theories and interviews revealed that, by doing green branding, having eco-labels, and implementing the five I’s, Jade and Notox are differentiating. This differentiation provides them a competitive advantage. In addition, Jade and Notox innovate in green materials and processes which, coupled with eco-labels, maintain the differentiation and generate a sustainable advantage.

This thesis presents the problem surrounding green marketing, which involves the lack of knowledge of green consumption by the consumer, and the threats of green washing from companies who present green marketing without achieving the green marketing criteria. An implementation of the green marketing theories in the cases of Patagonia and Klättermusen: green marketing five “I’s” and the green marketing three “C’s” was done in order to understand if the two companies fit the green marketing profile. This thesis aims to contribute to gain deeper knowledge from the outdoor consumer perspective on green marketing campaigns, and answer the question to how effective these campaigns are to the outdoor consumer, through a qualitative research.