The Green Ostrich

The term “greenwashing” comes up a lot in the news, in marketing, and in some of my own posts so I figure it’s time to define what it is and why it matters.  

Greenwashing is defined as the act or practice of making a product, policy, activity, etc. appear to be more environmentally friendly or less environmentally damaging than it really is. The term was coined in the 1980s by environmentalist Jay Westerveld in an essay where he claimed that hotels’ campaigns asking guests not to wash towels was not actually having the environmental impact that the hotel industry claimed. 

Greenwashing is especially prominent in marketing materials as brands are trying to appeal to conscious consumers. 

What are some examples of greenwashing? 

If you walk through a grocery store, clothing store, or home goods store, or if you look at a billboard along the highway, or if you watch TV commercials, you are sure to come across multiple examples of greenwashing. Here are examples of some of the types of claims you’ve probably come across:

• “Made with 50% more recycled content from before” with no indication of how much was used “before.” Did it increase from 1 oz to 1.5 oz of recycled content in a 1,000 oz product? If so, 50% more isn’t all that impressive. And how good is recycled content anyway? See here for my thoughts on that!

• “Made from sustainable/eco-friendly materials.” This is a vague and unsubstantiated claim. It doesn’t explain what materials, what part of the product, or even what “sustainable” or “eco-friendly” mean. In unregulated industries, this type of claim can be slapped on any label without consequence. In short, it tells us nothing! 

• Green labels. As in, labels that are literally green in color – often with an image of a flower or other symbol of nature. This labeling is put in place to attract customers who want to “buy green” but it does not actually mean anything. Again, it tells us nothing! 

• “This bag is recyclable” when the bag is merely the packaging for a product that has an overall negative impact on the environment e.g., a cotton t-shirt. If this is used to promote a “green” consumer experience, it falls short. 

• Vague statements from companies about “caring about the environment” or about their “commitment to reducing emissions” or “moving towards net zero” without any clear targets or, even with targets, without any plan to get there. Or even worse, making these plans but yet continuing to over produce and promote overconsumption. It’s easy to say you care, but without action, caring doesn’t matter.  

How do I spot greenwashing?

Sometimes greenwashing slaps you in the face, but it’s not always as easy to spot as I’d hope. Sometimes the cynic in me comes out and I assume that every marketing claim I read is greenwashing. On the flip side, sometimes I hear a claim that I so badly want to be true that I find myself tempted to accept it at face value. I’m getting better about the later and probably worse about the former…. 

In order to spot greenwashing, I tend to look for a few things. 

• Is the language or claim vague without any substantive information? 

• Is there even a claim or just a pretty picture? 

• Is the claim even about the product itself or just about an ancillary part of the business? 

• Does the claim take into account a company’s entire product line or just one or two items? 

• Is there any actual plan or evidence to back up the company’s claim? This last one in particular can be harder to find and might require a little bit of research.  

There’s a lot more to look for, but that’s a good start. 

Why is greenwashing bad? 

Sometimes it’s also easy to wonder why all greenwashing is so bad. After all, in some of my examples above, isn’t it better if a company is using recyclable packaging even if the product isn’t recyclable ? Shouldn’t we applaud baby-steps? 

I agree that we should applaud action in the right direction… sometimes. The problem is when this action stands alone and in place of a plan for real action. Looking at my examples above, if a company uses 50% more recycled content than before (or even 100% more), but does not have a plan to reduce or eliminate plastics from its products, then their impact is limited. If a company wants to move towards net-zero but does not have an action plan in place or is only relying on purchasing off-sets versus making real changes in their business model, then their impact is limited. If a company says they are using “eco-friendly” materials but doesn’t share what those materials are, then we have no idea what their impact is. If a company puts green imagery on their packaging, it means nothing. And in more extreme instances, in the most unregulated industries like clothing, often claims that are made are found to be false and outright deceptive. 

Relatedly, by focusing in on one product or one small aspect of the business, greenwashing often covers up a business’ overall negative impact on the environment. Customers may be misled into believing that a company is making real and actionable steps towards reducing its environmental impact when that is not the case. 

Customers are not only misled by greenwashing but often pay more for it. Businesses will slap green claims onto products and then charge more for them because they know some consumers will pay more for “sustainable.”

What do we do about it? 

Support legislation and regulation to combat greenwashing. Call out companies and organizations that you see engaging in greenwashing and push them on their claims. 

Frankly, we are in a crisis. Lip service is not sufficient to combat climate change. If the majority of the environmental work done by brands is coming from their marketing departments, then nothing is changing.