How Greenwashing Poses a Threat to Both the Environmentalism Movement and Businesses

#wwusustainability

At this point in time, most of us have heard of greenwashing, the practice of reporting or marketing a company to be more environmentally friendly than it is. It is usually seen in advertisements and packaging that could either literally feature a lot of the color green or could show images of nature, animals, etc. It can also be seen in the use of fluffy language like "natural" and "eco friendly" that have no actual definition or certification to uphold. 

It's clear that consumers are beginning to really prefer "sustainable" products or services. This is the reason many corporations are hopping on the trend of "going green". Many big corporations promote their products and services by making false and misleading claims about how "green" they are. Sustainable promotion has become an insidious practice in many ways and it's harmful to companies that truly are ethical and environmentally conscious. 

An article by Carlyann Edwards from Business News Daily explains why this trend is not only harmful to the environmentalism movement but also to businesses in general. "As a result of greenwashing, most Americans do not believe company claims about their sustainability practices." (Edwards, 2022). This can be especially impactful on brands that truly do care about sustainability. She goes on to explain what a company that is genuinely concerned with their environmental and social impact can do to avoid greenwashing, and by extension, win consumer's trust. 

• make your claims clear and easy to understand: include details like specific units of measurement and specific certifications from verifiable organizations

• back up your sustainability claims with data: keep current data available anywhere you make sustainability claims and make sure that it is always verifiable

• make sure images on ads and packaging are not misleading: avoid using the color green or images of nature to insinuate sustainability if that's not the case

• be honest and transparent about all of your brand's practices and plans: make sustainability goals and current practices visible and assumer that if there is information about your company that you wouldn't want people to see, make a change. 

Greenwashing has made it harder for brands to be taken seriously by consumers. There are ways that you can back up your "green" claims and it's important to do so because consumers are catching on to these misleading tactics. Big corporations have a responsibility to allocate as much time, energy, and money into actually changing their practices and becoming more sustainable as they do towards promoting their "sustainability". 

Edwards, C. (2022, February 24). What is greenwashing, and how do you spot it? Business News Daily. Retrieved May 3, 2022, from https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/10946-greenwashing.html