Sustainable Marketing in the FMCG Sector: Marketing Managers’ Perceptions

This master’s thesis examines how marketing managers in the Czech fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector perceive and implement the principles of sustainable marketing in practice. The aim of the thesis is to understand the motivations, decision-making dilemmas, and barriers associated with the implementation of sustainable marketing activities in FMCG companies. The empirical part is based on qualitative research consisting of twelve in-depth interviews with marketing managers from the food, beverage, cosmetics, home care, and retail sectors, which were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The findings show that sustainable activities arise from a combination of value-driven motivations, economic rationality, and regulatory or corporate pressures. Respondents associate the authenticity of sustainable marketing with consistency between internal practices and external communication, as well as with a willingness to bear real costs. The implementation of sustainability is further influenced by market price sensitivity, technological constraints, and the gap between consumers’ declared attitudes and their actual behaviour.