‘Going green’ sells, more and more people are willing to spend more on a product or service if it comes from a sustainable company, which ideally should be a plus for the environment. However, this has taken a turn for the worst and has led to the perpetuation of greenwashing among companies and corporations.

WHAT IS GREENWASHING?

Greenwashing occurs when an organization or company devotes their time and resources to marketing their products and services as environmentally friendly when they are not, instead of actually implementing environmentally friendly practices.

Globally, more people are becoming environmentally conscious, therefore they lean towards purchasing goods and services that are green. This is coercing companies and manufacturers to shift towards eco-friendly products to attract these consumers. However, some companies’ description of their products’ sustainable qualities may be irrelevant, exaggerated, or false.

For example, some companies still continue to label products as chlorofluorocarbons-free (CFC-free) yet CFCs were banned and are no longer in use. This information while true, is irrelevant to the product. It is only included to make consumers believe that the company is environmentally conscious.

Greenwashing may sound harmless, but it can be potentially dangerous. Consumers are misled into purchasing products that are described as eco-friendly but, the company has not taken any steps to abide by environmental standards leading to further pollution, emissions, and unsustainable utilization of resources. It exploits genuine environmental concerns thus creating confusion and scepticism towards genuine eco-friendly products.

In addition, companies may focus on the positive environmental aspects of their business and leave out the negatives. These companies are aware of the negative impact their business have on the environment and choose to focus on the positive impact they have made or intend to make. Companies in the petroleum industry have been known to do this in their advertisements. The companies may mislead consumers into believing that if they pay extra for their fuel, they will be contributing to the protection of forests from logging yet there is no guarantee that it will be done.

When companies resort to greenwashing, they use buzzwords that tend to be vague to appeal to the consumer. These companies use words such as sustainable, recyclable, biodegradable, cruelty-free, non-toxic, and eco- or environmentally friendly. It is important that one takes special attention to identify these instances of greenwashing.

                                    Vague statements used in greenwashed products (Photo by CulinaryLore)

WAYS TO SPOT GREENWASHING

You should do your part by calling out greenwashing when you spot it and spend your money on brands that are legitimate. One can identify greenwashing through:

• Images that give an impression of nature or marketing products in a visually pleasing package i.e., leaves, rivers, mountains.
• Emphasis on one green feature of a product and omitting the negative features.
• Greening of a dangerous product to make it appear safe or clean or claiming it has environmental benefits when it doesn’t.
• Sharing unsupported claims with zero evidence to support that a product is clean or organic.
• Jargon or information that cannot be easily understood by the average person; only scientists can understand.
• Stating that they are greener than other companies. This should be substantiated with evidence.
• Falsifying certifications or labels to mislead consumers. One should seek out products with trusted certifications.
• Be on the lookout for marketing language that doesn’t overstate or imply a more significant environmental benefit than it could be. Marketing should be clear on whether they are referring to the packaging, the product itself or a part of it.

GREEN MARKETING

Companies should employ green marketing if they are genuinely ‘going green’. Green marketing is the marketing or advertising of products that are legitimately produced through environmentally friendly practices. The products and services are produced in a transparent and honest way by following the guidelines listed below:

• Should be free of toxic and ozone depleting substances,
• Should be easily repaired or reused,
• Should not use excessive (non-biodegradable) packaging,
• Should be made from renewable and biodegradable material,
• Should be manufactured in a sustainable fashion,
• Should be recycled or produced from recycled material and,
• The company should offer an end-of-life program for its products.

If a company markets themselves as green, it should have the appropriate documentation and certification to prove this. Furthermore, it is easy for green marketing to turn to greenwashing if the organization does not stick to the environmental standards, they have set for themselves.

I believe we should take it upon ourselves to do the necessary research to find out if the green products we buy are genuinely environmentally friendly and go a step further by calling out any false claims made by companies.