 Corporate Social
Responsibility Best Practices
Greenwashing
Being Caught Red Handed
By Debra Kent Faulk
Published: February / March 2008
Buzzwords like
“environmental-friendly,” “energy efficient” and “carbon
offsets” flow freely from corporate press releases,
brochures, web sites, blogs, and other promotional
materials. Some claims are accurate, certified, and
verifiable while others are misrepresentations designed
to sell products.
Just think about it.
A natural spring water company promotes their new
“Eco-Shape Bottle.” An airline entices employees to
leave their cars at home for a month by offering them
frequent flier points. A fur trade organization says
their product is “Eco-Fashion.” Television is producing
“green" programming. An on-line retailer advertises
electric lawn and garden tools under the headline “Think
Green.”
It is amazing how everywhere you turn, products and
practices are suddenly “green” and “earth-friendly.”
There is a term to describe the efforts of companies to
portray themselves, products, or practices as
environmentally responsible. It is called “greenwashing.”
Greenwashing is when a company unjustifiably presents an
environmentally responsible public image to appear to be
environmentally responsible or to mask environmental
wrongdoings. If a company does truly offer a green
product, but through marketing and public relations the
consumer is wrongly led to believe a green value system
extends throughout the organization, it is greenwashing.
Today, greenwashing extends to certain instances of
environmental reporting, event sponsorship, and the
distribution of educational materials. But most often,
greenwashing is associated with environmental
advertising — when consumers are misled into purchases
that do not deliver on their environmental promise.
Don’t let your green practices give way to greenwashing
A recent survey of 1,018 products found 99 percent
falsely claimed green credentials. Through an
examination of everyday products purchased at
category-leading big box stores — consumer goods ranging
from oven cleaner to caulking to toothpaste and shampoo
— the researchers studied each one for false or
misleading green marketing claims. The findings, by
survey authors TerraChoice Environmental Marketing of
Reading, PA, showed distinct patterns of greenwashing,
leading them to craft the “Six Sins of Greenwashing™.”
Companies of all sizes should be aware of these “sins,”
because this is one “green” trend you don’t want to
follow. TerraChoice’s “Six Sins of Greenwashing™” :
1. Sin of hidden trade-off - Suggests a product is
“green” based on a single environmental attribute
without attention to other important, or more important,
environmental issues. While the claims are not usually
false, they tend to paint a “greener” picture. For
example, paper products promoting recycled content
without attention to manufacturing impacts such as air
emissions.
2. Sin of no proof -
Supporting evidence not easily accessible. For example,
products promoting energy efficiency without supporting
evidence or certification either at point of purchase or
at the product web site.
3. Sin of vagueness - A
claim that is so broad or poorly defined that its real
meaning is likely to be misunderstood by the intended
consumer. For example, products promoting “chemical
free,” when in fact, nothing is completely free of
chemicals.
4. Sin of irrelevance - An
environmental claim that may be truthful, but is not
important for consumers seeking environmentally
preferable products. For example, promoting a product
that is CFC-free, when CFC’s (chlorofluorocarbons) were
legally banned almost 30 years ago.
5. Sin of lesser of two
evils - When environmental qualifiers such as “organic”
or “green” are placed on products in which the entire
product category is of questionable environmental value.
For example, organic cigarettes.
6. Sin of fibbing - Making
environmental claims that are simply false.
Is your green good?
So what’s a well-intentioned company to do?
Remember, environmentally preferable products are
“greener,ss” not “green,” and marketing them as such is
entirely fair. As TerraChoice points out in its report,
it is okay if your product is not purely “green;” no
such product is.
However, in making your green claims, be sure to use
trusted standards for product testing. Be open and
transparent with your customers. Make a copy of the
environmental standard or testing protocol available for
review. And most importantly, be clear, honest, and
forthright about the claim being made.
“Greenwashing” is defined as the unjustified
appropriation of environmental virtue by a company, an
industry, a government, a politician, or even a
non-government organization to create a
pro-environmental image, sell a product or policy, or to
try and rehabilitate their standing with the public and
decision makers after being embroiled in controversy.
- SourceWatch.org
Debra Kent Faulk is
principal of DKF Connects, a socially conscious
marketing services firm specializing in public
relations, social marketing, and strategic partnerships.
For more information, call (813) 258-2599 or visit
www.DKFconnects.com.
back to top
|
