Last year, we touched on greenwashing in two paragraphs on this blogbut now we would like to discuss it at greater length because we think it is important. So, here it is!
Market research shows that consumers are often willing to pay more for environmentally friendly products. In other words, if a company decides to go green, it can ultimately lead to increased revenues. In an ideal world, this factor would probably not be exploited by merely disguising or disguising as green something that is not, but unfortunately, it seems that humanity is not even a little bit there yet.
What is greenwashing?
A greenwashing or painting green is actually a form of misinformation, a scam, often used by some companies to "win" more conscious consumers. Indeed, it means that, unfortunately, companies that claim to be sustainable, biodegradable or environmentally conscious sometimes fail to deliver on their promises to consumers.
The Conscious Shoppers as defined by:
"A greenwashing makes, suggests or implies specific or general statements about the environmental benefits or environmental impact of a product, business or initiative, in or related to visual or textual communications on the product (e.g. advertising), that are likely to influence the decisions of customers, investors or other stakeholders (e.g. employees), but which are not independently and verifiably substantiated in a way that is publicly, clearly and easily accessible to consumers."
What does green repainting look like?
Greenwashing can be obvious and clear or vague. In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission regulates green advertising at the federal level and has been bringing lawsuits against companies that violate environmental marketing guidelines since 1992. In recent years, the agency has brought lawsuits against Walmart and Kohl's for advertising red textiles as environmentally friendly bamboo, and against Volkswagen for lying about the fuel efficiency of its cars.
Experts say that going green is particularly common in the fashion industry, as sustainability has become the latest trend, making it easier to encourage consumers to buy with the promise of more sustainable fashion. Going green may seem easier for companies in the short term and is of course a cheaper option than actually making the effort to go green.
Another way to mislead consumers is to distract them from the company's bigger problems. A company might introduce a new product line, such as a pair of jeans, that uses less water to produce. As a result, they theoretically leave a smaller ecological footprint than other garments. Meanwhile, the same company ignores water use in its other products and does nothing to make the manufacturing process environmentally friendly.
What's wrong with painting it green?
Painting green is bad for everyone. It is bad for consumers, because misleading claims and lies mislead them and they will make the wrong decision when they think they are doing the right thing. With products and services suddenly appearing in green robes, it may seem that our current level of consumption is perfectly fine. Yet we know that we use up the planet's resources in half a year. Greenwashing obscures the need for social dialogue and consensus on reducing consumption. It prevents the launch of programmes and real solutions.
As well as consumers, it's bad for businesses that have invested in truly green operations and the development of environmentally friendly products. The benefit is also collected by the companies making empty claims, giving them an illegal competitive advantage. And good businesses can be put at a disadvantage. Greenwashing hinders the spread of truly green innovations because they are difficult to spot and find in the green communication noise.
Consumer confidence in credibly certified green products is being damaged: certification schemes that demonstrate real results, showing validated claims, such as the EU Ecolabel and its national equivalents, are also being harmed. And of course it is bad for the planet.
How can green repainting be avoided?
Being informed and educated about the concept of greenwashing and how it works is one effective way for consumers to avoid giving their money to dishonest companies.
At national, EU and global level, there are processes underway to introduce stricter legislation, so sooner or later, green repainting will no longer be a viable option, but until then, it's worth keeping an eye out.
What to look out for?
The following list should help you to get an idea of what the warning signs are that you may be dealing with green staining:
- When a company highlights some insignificant sustainable attribute, diverting attention from the fact that the product itself is polluting.
- Unprovable claims, when you cannot verify it, there is no other information, proof or document.
- Indefinite or irrelevant claims.
- Claims that contain false information.
- If you come across an otherwise polluting company selling a green product.
- When a polluting company operates with images close to nature, with flowers in its advertisements. It's scientific crap when it sounds good but you don't really know what it means.
- When an award or badge certifying, for example, the organicity of a product is issued by an organisation that appears to be an independent third party, but is in fact owned by the company that produced the product.
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