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Product cover image for Tru Earth: Marketing Innovation Competes with Social Responsibility

Tru Earth: Marketing Innovation Competes with Social Responsibility

Natalie Slawinski, Nhan Nguyen, Heather Ranson

Product #:W42743
Supplier:Ivey
Discipline:Marketing, Sustainability
Setting:Canada, 2022
Details:Case (PDF) • 11 pages • 2025-06-04

Subjects:

Corporate social responsibilityTransparencySales and marketingLeadership and managing peopleMarketingManagement

Industries:

Fabrication and manufacturing

Geography:

CanadaNorth America
Your Price:$10.54

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This case study, set in 2021, centres on the story of Tru Earth Environmental Products Inc. (Tru Earth), an innovative startup company that provided a range of eco-friendly household products. Alongside its development, Tru Earth faced challenges of balancing its commitment to sustainability with a growth-based marketing strategy. The case underscores this tension as realized through the goals of Tru Earth’s environmental and sustainability impact specialist, Mckenna Liski, and those of the marketing team. The tension ultimately led to Mckenna’s resignation, leaving Tru Earth’s chief executive officer (CEO), Brad Liski, to consider how Tru Earth could live its values and pursue its sustainability goals without being perceived as greenwashing in the eyes of customers.

Learning Objectives

This case is suited for undergraduate and graduate-level courses in sustainability and social responsibility, marketing and communications, and oanizational behaviour and strategy. It explores the challenges of managing a purpose-driven business that balances growth, environmental commitments, and organizational dynamics. After working through the case and assignment questions, students will be able to do the following:

  • Analyze and understand the challenges of integrating sustainability into an organization’s growth strategy and authentically communicating sustainability claims while avoiding greenwashing.
  • Analyze the organizational structure and its influence on sustainability commitments.
  • Develop insights to aligning marketing and sustainability practices for mission-driven businesses.
  • Examine the potential conflicts among business departments because of different strategic goals.
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Case Study: Tru Earth: Marketing Innovation Competes with Social Responsibility (English version) | Ivey Publishing