An Analysis of Icebreaker's Sustainability-Driven Marketing Strategies

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Icebreaker's sustainable marketing principles and practices. It examines the company's commitment to ethical sourcing, particularly its use of Merino wool, and how this influences its product development, pricing strategies, distribution channels, and promotional activities. The report delves into Icebreaker's unique marketing positioning, highlighting its emphasis on natural materials and environmental responsibility to differentiate itself from competitors. It also assesses the effectiveness of Icebreaker's strategies, identifies areas for improvement, and provides insights into its competitive landscape. The study concludes that Icebreaker successfully aligns its business model with sustainability principles, offering valuable lessons for other companies seeking to integrate ethical and environmental considerations into their marketing efforts. The report also highlights the importance of innovation and direct customer engagement in promoting sustainable brands.

Running Head: SUSTAINABILITY PRINCIPLES 0
Marketing

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Executive Summary
In the recent time, it becomes essential for the companies to comply with the sustainability
principles. Due to this, Icebreaker comply the ethical sourcing for making the apparels. It
believes in serving the society with ethical manner. This is the reason customers are even
willing to pay the premium prices for its products.

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Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Background of the company and key principles of sustainable marketing principles of
'Icebreaker..................................................................................................................................2
Product, promotion, distribution, and pricing strategy of this organisation in relation to
sustainable marketing interests..................................................................................................3
Success of its strategy and improvement by new principles......................................................4
Marketing positioning analysis of the organisation against its competitors..............................4
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................5
References..................................................................................................................................6

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Introduction
Icebreaker is effectively working in the recent time by using sustainability-marketing
principles at the time of manufacturing. In the report, discussion is carried on how Icebreaker
is able to ensure its product, price, place, promotion strategies related to the sustainability
principles. At the end of this report, its success and areas of improvement has been discussed.
Background of the company and key principles of sustainable marketing principles of
'Icebreaker
It is true that Icebreaker is all about Icebreaking. It tends to explore the relationship between
nature and people. It has also introduced the sustainable marketing principles. For example- it
has effectively ensured the commitment to ethical and sustainable fibre sourcing. Icebreaker
has also redefined the design principles by giving emphasis on the sustainable and natural
principles. It is one of the leading brands in the category of Merino outdoor clothing.
Moreover, its brand is sold more than the 2000 stores in around 24 countries. By ensuring the
100 per cent natural products, people of Icebreaker mostly involved in the outdoor activities
such as skiing, and hiking in the cold regions. It has followed the tagline of “one with nature”
that has proved successful by ensuring the totally natural products.
In addition to this, the design led strategy of the Icebreaker close to the sustainability and
target. As soon as the demand and needs of customer’s changes, it notices those changes
quickly. It has also pioneered the sustainable and ethical production of the natural
performance clothing. It operates effectively by ensuring the commitment of its procedures,
policies as well as community and environment. It ensured the effective training programme
for its people whenever nay change has been brought in the organisation. This helps the
people to gain necessary skills that are required for fulfilling nay responsibility (Icebreaker,
2018). Icebreaker is the opposite of fast fashion. By keeping the high-quality performance
clothing, our goal is to thrive in your wardrobe and during your activities for many seasons.
Icebreaker tends to directly sources 100% of our fabrics and garments, and approximately
90% of our fiber, yarns and trims.

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Product, promotion, distribution, and pricing strategy of this organisation in relation to
sustainable marketing interests
Product: it is found that Icebreaker tends to source whole garment and fabric. It has also
made the sourcing standard for its vendor. As Icebreaker is a fashion company but it was
made its clothes suitable for many seasons. The entire produces of Icebreaker drives to
innovation and creation of that natural gives. IT do not waste nay of the resources by making
any of the product. Moreover, it is seen that the around 85 per cent of its global fabric is
made from the natural fibre and only 15 per cent is manmade (Niinimäki, Pedersen, Hvass
and Svengren-Holm, 2015). It has stated in its report that sustainability is not only a
characteristic of its product; it is in the design and value of business.
Price: by providing the long term contract, it ensures the price stability. The uniqueness in its
product makes price at least factor for its customers across the world. due to its continuous
innovation, it helps the company in charging the premium price for its products. even the
customers also charge this much price due to its innovative products. It also charges premium
prices because the entire products are made from 100 per cent pure merino wool that is
completely natural. The premium pricing strategy of the Icebreaker is made by keeping in
mind its quality and ethical sources (McLaren and Goworek, 2017).
Place: its distribution includes the E-commerce in 23 countries, 2579 wholesale accounts and
45 stores of the Icebreaker. It also does safe distribution of its products. In the recent year, it
also comes up with the water soluble bag from ensuring the safe delivery and distribution of
its products. For ensuring the right product on the right time, it gives focus on building the
long term positive relationship with its suppliers. For the effective distribution of its products,
it tends to use the trim suppliers as well as some yarn suppliers (Peterson, 2018). The
distributors of Icebreaker actively sought the relationship as well as design innovation. By
making available the products on right time, its main purpose is to offer the customers a
natural alternative toward the sustainable solution.
Promotion: Icebreaker as natural suppliers does not believe in doing too much promotion of
its brand. It only supports the delivery of healthy products across the world. By doing this, it
promotes the use of its products. It believes that the innovation in its products will help it in
keeping the customers stick to its brand for very long time. Due to the high specialised
company, it tends to keep the direct personal contact with the retailer and customers. By

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ensuring promotion through personal contact, it tends to guide the new product development
(Marshall, McCarthy, Heavey and McGrath 2015).
Success of its strategy and improvement by new principles
It has undertaken the several sustainability innovations by following several strategies for its
products, or price. It has undertaken the premium pricing strategy by ensuring the high
quality of its products. Due to the middle or lower class people, this strategy can fail.
However, it can also start working on the lower pricing strategy that will help it in enhancing
its market share in the market (Rauter, Jonker and Baumgartner, 2017). It can also open the
stores in several emerging economies that will further help it in increasing its growth in
several new markets. It can also enter into several new markets besides the clothing. This will
definitely help it in gaining more customers.
It is true that Icebreaker is successfully working on its strategies by following the
sustainability principles. Besides its focus on the sustainability principles, people are not
aware about its products. due to this, it can be improved by using several promotion channels.
It can effectively work on its website by ensuring the creativity. In addition to this, it can also
use the several social media sites for its promotional activity. In the recent time, customers
are also getting addicted to all the social media sites such as Instagram, Facebook and You
Tube. Therefore, it could improve its promotion activity with the help of these channels
(Mega, 2019). It can also include some other sustainability principles that will help in
achieving more growth in the market.
Marketing positioning analysis of the organisation against its competitors
It has found that Icebreaker is at the top in outdoor apparel market globally. By doing the
major innovation in its clothing, it has positioned itself in the market. It is also seen that
Icebreaker design team strategy is too much effective that even cannot be imitated. Due to its
skilled and competent design team, it is able to bring the continuous innovation (Epstein,
2018). It has clearly positioned itself in the mind of customers by ensuring the development
in its management system and design technology. By ensuring this, it helps the company in
moving to the right direction. In this way, the competitive position made by Icebreaker is
long vision and sustainable. It has some of the competitors such as North Face, Columbia,
Marmot and Patagonia. However, these competitors are not much technical and specialized as

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Icebreaker is. The competitors of Icebreaker give emphasis on the fashion oriented clothes
(Mendez, Bendixen, Abratt, Yurova and O’Leary, 2015). In this way, it is clear that it is able
to effectively able to maintain its higher position in the market as compare to its competitor.
By ensuring the innovation in its sustainability practices, it is able maintain its uniqueness in
the market.
Conclusion
In the limelight of above discussion, it can be concluded that Icebreaker has proved to be
successful by giving focus on the 100 per cent purity of its products. By giving emphasis on
the innovative designing element, it is able to beat the competition available in the market. It
has also effectively positioned itself in the market by ensuring the quality of its products.
besides this, it is also effectively ensuring the development of management system and design
technology by doing the outsourcing of its manufacturing part. It also adhere to the changing
needs of the customers effectively. It tends to keep aside its competitors by positioned itself
effectively in the market. In this way, it is clear that Icebreaker is effective able to comply
with all the sustainability principles.

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References
Epstein, M.J., 2018. Making sustainability work: Best practices in managing and measuring
corporate social, environmental and economic impacts. United Kingdom: Routledge.
Icebreaker. 2018. Transparency Report. Available from:
https://res.cloudinary.com/icebreakernz/image/upload/v1561408911/ourstory/reports/
transparency_report_lowres_2018.pdf [accessed 1/09/2019].
Marshall, D., McCarthy, L., Heavey, C. and McGrath, P., 2015. Environmental and social
supply chain management sustainability practices: construct development and
measurement. Production Planning & Control, 26(8), pp.673-690.
McLaren, A. and Goworek, H., 2017. Investigating the relationship between consumer
attitudes and sustainable fashion product development. In Sustainability in Fashion (pp. 171-
192). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Mega, V.P., 2019. Towards Purposeful, Circular, and Sustainable Economies. In Eco-
Responsible Cities and the Global Ocean (pp. 167-202). Springer, Cham.
Mendez, M., Bendixen, M., Abratt, R., Yurova, Y. and O’Leary, B., 2015. Sales promotion
and brand loyalty: some new insights. International Journal of Education and Social
Science, 2(1), pp.103-117.
Niinimäki, K., Pedersen, E.R.G., Hvass, K.K. and Svengren-Holm, L., 2015. Fashion
industry and new approaches for sustainability. In Handbook of Sustainable Apparel
Production(Vol. 453, No. 474, pp. 453-474). United Kingdom: Routledge.
Peterson, T.H., 2018. Community Engagement Outcomes and Activities. In Student
Development and Social Justice (pp. 157-185). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Rauter, R., Jonker, J. and Baumgartner, R.J., 2017. Going one's own way: drivers in
developing business models for sustainability. Journal of Cleaner Production, 140, pp.144-
154.

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Zhurkina, L.S., Ukhanova, J.A. and Nikishin, A.F., 2015. Promotional activities in trade and
different ways to improve them. Austrian Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, (5-6),
pp.157-158.