What is green washing?
Recently, you may have noticed that the world is becoming more eco-friendly as portrayed by various sectors of society. This is especially so convincing when you pick up a product whose packaging has the word “natural” on it or looks recycled. With recent findings from various surveys conducted globally, you may have been a victim of greenwashing.
Greenwashing is a term used to describe the practice of making false or misleading claims about the environmental benefits or sustainability of a product, service, or company. This can include exaggerating the environmental benefits, hiding harmful environmental impacts, or using misleading labels or certifications. To make it worse, currently greenwashing has even been taken to the extent of changing the packaging of an existing product while continuing to use unsustainable ingredients or practices. It’s a way for companies to appear like they care while also increasing their profit margins, as they’re fully aware that eco-conscious people are willing to spend more money on sustainable products.
Greenwashing can take many forms, including:
Misleading advertising: Making false or exaggerated claims about environmental benefits in advertising.
Misleading labelling: Using labels or certifications that imply environmental benefits that are not actually present.
Hidden trade-offs: Highlighting one environmental benefit while ignoring or downplaying other negative environmental impacts.
Vagueness: Using vague or general terms like “eco-friendly” or “sustainable” without providing specific details or evidence.
Examples of greenwashing include:
– A company claiming that their product is “biodegradable” when it’s not.
– A company highlighting their use of recycled materials in one product while ignoring the environmental impacts of their other products.
– A company using a fake or meaningless environmental certification or label.
Greenwashing can be harmful because it can:
– Mislead consumers into making purchasing decisions based on false information.
– Undermine trust in genuine environmental claims and certifications.
– Distract from real environmental issues and solutions.
To avoid greenwashing, look for:
– Specific, detailed, and evidence-based environmental claims.
– Third-party certifications or labels from reputable organizations.
– Transparency about environmental impacts and trade-offs.
– Consistency between environmental claims and actual practices.
Industries that practice green washing a lot globally
Fast Fashion: Some brands in this space have been accused of making misleading sustainability claims, with 96% of their claims found to be false or misleading.
Airlines: Some Airlines have been sued over false carbon-neutrality claims, despite being one of the largest contributors to CO2 emissions.
Energy and Oil: Some companies have been caught making misleading claims about their clean energy business, while simultaneously investing billions in oil and gas production.
Banking and Finance: Some companies have been accused of financing fossil fuels while running climate-friendly ads, with an estimated $8.7 billion invested in new oil and gas in 2021.
Consumer Goods: Some companies have been banned from making unsubstantiated environmental claims, and therefore fined for misleading recycling claims.
Food and Beverages: Some brands have been accused of making misleading carbon footprint claims and criticized for their environmental impact.
Transportation: Some aviation companies have been banned from making false low-emissions claims, despite being one of the largest contributors to CO2 emissions in the aviation industry.