What is Greenwashing?
In a world where many are making the move towards more eco-friendly practices, I’m sure you’ve heard of the term “greenwashing” by now. If you haven’t, greenwashing is when a company claims to uphold environmentally friendly practices but isn’t actually making any sustainable efforts. Even with good intentions, companies can still greenwash. They will typically spend more money on marketing efforts to proclaim they are implementing green initiatives, rather than actually minimizing their impact on the environment.
How to Spot Greenwashing
It’s not always easy to spot greenwashing. But there are some things you can look out for when a company claims to take on eco-friendly initiatives:
False claims or vague language
The Advertising Standards Authority receives the most complaints about this area, with some companies getting their advertisements banned. In 2019, Ryanair claimed it had the lowest fares and lowest emissions in Europe. Because there was no evidence to support this, the advertisement was banned.
Using eco-friendly “buzzwords” and images of nature
Words like “eco-friendly”, “sustainability”, “green”, and “environment” are thrown around by companies constantly, but they rarely pertain to scientific standards. Companies will also use pictures of nature in their advertisements to appear more eco-friendly, but too often, they fail to provide evidence to back up their claims.
In 2015, Coca-Cola introduced their new product, Coca-Cola Life, along with an advertising campaign that included green words and imagery. The product was marketed as a reduced sugar alternative to original Coke and sold in a fully recyclable bottle. The problem is, as of 2021, Coca-Cola was ranked as the worst plastic polluter in the world for the fourth consecutive year.
Withholding information
In July 2022, a lawsuit was issued against the clothing brand, H&M, for falsely advertising about the sustainability of its clothing.
Some companies will hide certain information from their customers. For example, a clothing company may advertise that their new line of clothing is “sustainable” but all the other clothing lines they have are damaging to the environment.
Research company ownership
As anyone will tell you, doing your own research when it comes to spotting greenwashing is the best way to know and avoid it. To further your research, check out who the owner of the company in question is. Sometimes large companies that have a high environmental impact will buy smaller brands to target environmentally conscious customers.
How Greenwashing Can Hurt Companies
Greenwashing can be detrimental to a brand’s reputation. Essentially, greenwashing is misleading customers into believing that your company is environmentally friendly. As the world has embraced greener practices, it’s discouraging when the companies that do the most harm advertise with misleading environmental claims. When companies greenwash, it undermines their image, can have adverse environmental impacts and the company loses customer trust.
How to Avoid Inadvertent Greenwashing
For companies that are truly looking to make a difference, it is important to make claims as clear and unambiguous as possible. Also, providing evidence to any extraordinary claims will show your customers that you are reliable and trustworthy.
If your products are already eco-friendly, ensure your company’s practices are just as effective. Make sustainability a part of your business model. Begin to implement sustainable practices in your manufacturing, distribution operations and waste management.
And be transparent about your brand’s eco-friendly practices and plans. When it comes to advertisements, eliminate any misleading images on packages. Stay away from nature images that appear to show your company is green when that isn’t the case.
Greenwashing has unfortunately become more prevalent, but also more recognized. Not only do we need to adopt the rules of change, but we also need to be willing to put in the work to implement that change. Don’t just follow those sustainable trends, practice them, implement them, and make them a part of your daily life.
