Is environmentalism more of an opportunity or threat for marketers?

This is a very timely question as more and more people are subscribing to the idea of environmental protection. I believe that this trend makes environmentalism an opportunity for marketers.

Marketers can use the idea of environmental responsibility to their advantage when selling their product or service. An obvious example of an industry that sees environmentalism as an opportunity is the automotive industry. Whole new types of cars have been developed to run on different kinds of fuel. Hybrids, electric cars, bio-diesel, etc... have all come out of this trend toward protecting the environment. Car manufacturers are able to introduce so many new products and now have a secure future in selling cars utilizing the new technologies.

Even though I just said that I believed environmentalism is a boon for automobile manufacturers, it can also be said that environmentalism was a threat at first for the automobile industry. When people were first demanding that more efficient automobiles be produced, it was a strain on the companies. Sales of larger vehicles with greater gas consumption, like SUV's, fell and hurt sales. Federel guidlines for emissions also placed a strain on the companies to produce more fuel efficient cars. But now that the auto-makers have adjusted into the new market, they are meeting customer demands and developing future technologies.

A question to think about would be; what industries will take the biggest hit from environmentalism? Can they adapt to the challenge?