2 Easy Sources

Against Greenwashing:

Greenwash Marketing - Avoid the Greenwash
By Trudy Slabosz

Modern society has started to acknowledge that our current lifestyle, especially in the developed world, is having a very real and negative impact on the environment. As a member of this society we hear daily about 'climate change' and pollution and are overwhelmed with calls to be 'green' and 'eco-friendly'.

The corporate world has heard the call and many companies and organisations have hurried to establish themselves as pro-environmental. That there is positive change afoot in the corporate world is fantastic, but can we trust the integrity of some of these big business enterprises?

We've all seen the bogus advertisements dripping in green slogans and awash with images of clean running streams and unfelled forests.But how often do we let clever marketing and eco-friendly claims convince us of true environmental commitment and integrity?

The term Greenwash has been coined to represent the false and disingenuous actions of some manufacturers and marketing agencies that present themselves as environmentally friendly when they are anything but. Having a pro-environmental image is great marketing and can sucker consumers into buying products and supporting businesses that have put a lot of effort into advertising but maybe only a little into improving their environmental impact.

We are bombarded with advertising on new 'eco-friendly' policies and confronted with new bright green shinny labels and claims. But it is easy for a manufacturer to create a pro-environmental image without actually having to prove anything.We need to look beyond the publicity to really discover what positive actions lie behind the green spin.

There is significant market-based incentive to 'go green' but very little legal control around many of the terms used to promote 'green' commitments. It is in a manufacturer's interest to have a green image so be careful to insure there is substance to backup their eco-friendly claims. The simplest way to do this is to look for legitimate certification.

We need to put pressure on the manufacturers to provide us with real alternatives to polluting and unsustainable products and policies. By insuring the products we buy are certified environmentally friendly and not simply a product of Greenwashing; we are not putting money into marketing spin but into real positive change.

Greenwashing not only hurts the consumer but also degrades and threatens the environmental awareness we as a society are beginning to embrace. If we put our money into products only to discover that their eco-friendly promise is all just hype than we become disenchanted. We start to see the environmental cause as a lost cause and turn away from anything claiming to be green or pro-environmental. It again, all comes down to us the consumer. We need to be informed, active and clever in our choices. Become Greenwash savvy, look for a certified environmental commitment not a clever slogan.

Greenwashing is out there and as with any form of marketing it is up to the consumer to not be swayed by clever spin. Claims of being 'Green', 'Eco-Friendly', 'Natural' etc are meaningless without certification by an independent third party. Always look for products that meet your own environmental standards. Base your product choices on the real issues and not on market spin.

Don't let some manufacturers take advantage of our desire to make the world a better place and source out the real alternatives from those who share your desire for a positive impact. Have a browse through the sites and find out more about greenwashing and some of the biggest culprits. It is simply just a matter of shopping with a conscious and looking out for marketing ploys.

Make real choices and we make a real difference.

Slaboza, Trudy. 2009. “Greenwash Marketing-Avoid the Greenwash”. Ezine Article. November 17th 2009. http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Trudy_Slabosz



Pro Greenwashing:

The Tools Of Greenwashing: Adverts

Not everything on The Unsuitablog is greenwashing, sometimes it is about organisations that are just being foolish or aren’t informed enough to realise they are being hypocritical; sometimes it is about stuff that is just plain bad, and is featured because it is bad enough that everyone should know about. But the vast majority of stuff here is Greenwash. If you are a regular reader (for which I am very grateful) then you will already know how to spot greenwash. But just spotting it won’t stop it happening; we need to know more about the various tools companies, authorities, NGOs and other areas of life use to pull the leaves over our eyes.

The first one in this small series is Advertising.

The first time most people, including me, come across greenwashing is in the form of an advertisement. Adverts are, by their nature, commercial tools: they exist to encourage people to spend money. Straight away we can see a problem here, because the act of spending money — in the vast majority of cases — is unsustainable, regardless of the product being purchased. If you buy something new (when was the last time you saw an advert for something pre-owned?) then you are almost certain to be using non-renewable materials; and also non-renewable energy that was used to produce, transport, market and retail the item.

There are many different types of advertisement, ranging from press adverts in your local, small-circulation freesheet, national newspaper and magazine adverts, radio and television adverts (again these could be local or national), cinema adverts, billboards and the various forms of moving and placed adverts in a huge number of different items — bus tickets, schoolbooks, taxicabs etc.

In general, the glossier, bigger and larger circulation the advertisement, the more money that has been spent on it — and, therefore, the more money the advertiser is hoping to recoup from the sale of the item. For instance, a full-page adverts in National Geographic, Time or the Washington Post will cost tens of thousands of Dollars / Euros / Pounds etc. A 30 second spot in the middle of a major sporting event can cost millions.

If you see “green” claims in these, high-cost adverts, then you can be sure that you are looking at a piece of clever, slick greenwash. These people pay advertising agencies a hell of a lot of money to ensure their messages get across – the messages that the advertiser wants the public to see, and nothing else. Compare this to a local radio or newspaper advert, that might make environmental claims: if greenwashing, they are far more likely to be clumsy and opaque; but greenwashing is rare in such adverts. The high-cost advertisement is the home of much of the very worst greenwashing.

The public, sadly, have very short memories: this is not the fault of the public; it is the fault of the advertisers who continually pump a stream of digital sewage into our brains — who can blame people for forgetting the slip-ups of the past. And here is another key point: the greenwasher with money can afford to take a chance that they will be exposed, because if they do manage to pull off the perfect greenwash, they will have pulled it off in front of millions of potential consumers, many of whom are looking for products that are that bit greener. If they do get found out; well, there will be another advert, another slogan, another logo along in a short while ready to wipe out the memory of the greenwash.

The key message here, then, is be vigilant, be smart, and never forget.

Oh, and forget the “greensumption”: it’s just a con.
Unknown. (May 14th, 2008). “The Tools Of Greenwashing: Adverts”. The Unsuitable Blog. November 17th 2009. http://thesietch.org/mysietch/keith/2008/05/14/the-tools-of-greenwashing-1-adverts/