“Greenwashing is the practice of making an unsubstantiated or misleading claim about the environmental benefits of a product, service, technology or company practice” (Rouse, 2007). Environmentalist Jay Westerveld created this term in the 1980s to describe untruthful companies that were utilizing false advertisements of their products and services as a marketing advantage. Some of the most known companies are guilty of false statements tricking their consumers into thinking they are environmentally friendly.
Boohoo is a trendy, fast fashion ecommerce retail shop. They recently claimed they banned all wool products to profess to be sustainable and animal friendly. In opposition, they would be offering “fake fur” which is actually produced using plastic and inadvertently is worse for the environment since plastic is non-biodegradable. Boohoo laborers make less than minimum wage which is also concerning that a company would treat their employees with a lack of compassion.
H&M has been on the movement to a conscious sustainable model offering eco-friendly lines. Their Conscious line only accounts for 5% of their total clothing output and how much is 5% really doing? The company gives the bare minimum about the products used in their clothing. “In addition to glazing over specific information about the clothing’s benefits, composition and specifications, the brand was also using promotional statements that could potentially mislead buyers” (Hitti, 2019).
Tarte Cosmetics is a beauty company that claims to be cruelty free and vegan. The company has false claims. One of their highly rated products “Natural Beauty Cheek Stain” contains carmine which is actually crushed beetles. “Ironically, despite Tarte’s attention-getting marketing concept, their products aren’t any more natural or healthier than loads of other products. We take particular issue with the company’s claim of being preservative-free, synthetic dye-free, and talc-free. Not only are these ingredients not a problem for most people, but also many of Tarte’s products do contain them!” (Arnett, 2018).
Prevention
It’s hard to make thoughtful choices about our consumption. In part, this is because the literature of ethics and sustainability is notoriously hard to navigate. Sometime’s its not easy being a consumer as learning the language and taking the time to do your own research can be time consuming and overwhelming. It’s often taken advantage of that consumers put their trust in their favorite companies.
Here are a few tips you can do to prevent promotion and avoid green washed products:
-Fluffy language. Words or terms with no clear meaning (e.g. “eco-friendly”).
-Green product vs. dirty company. Such as efficient light bulbs made in a factory that pollutes rivers.
-Suggestive pictures. Green images that indicate a (unjustified) green impact (e.g. flowers blooming from exhaust pipes).
-Irrelevant claims. Emphasizing one tiny green attribute when everything else is not green.
-Best in class. Declaring you are slightly greener than the rest, even if the rest are pretty terrible.
-Just not credible. “Eco friendly” cigarettes, anyone? “Greening” a dangerous product doesn’t make it safe.
-Jargon. Information that only a scientist could check or understand.
-Imaginary friends. A “label” that looks like third party endorsement — except that it’s made up.
-No proof. It could be right, but where’s the evidence?
-Out-right lying. Totally fabricated claims or data.
References
Arnett, K. (2018, April 26). Is Tarte Makeup Really All Natural? Retrieved January 31, 2020, from https://kristenarnett.com/tarte-makeup-really-all-natural/
Impact, G., & *, N. (2009, August 21). Environmental Marketing and Greenwashing: Tips for Staying Out of Trouble. Retrieved January 31, 2020, from https://www.greenimpact.com/tips/environmental-marketing-greenwashing-tips-for-staying-out-of-trouble/
Hitti, N. (2019, August 2). H&M called out for “greenwashing” in its Conscious fashion collection. Retrieved January 31, 2020, from https://www.dezeen.com/2019/08/02/hm-norway-greenwashing-conscious-fashion-collection-news/
Rouse, M. (2007, September 19). What is greenwashing? – Definition from WhatIs.com. Retrieved January 29, 2020, from https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/greenwashing
Chit Chat Kim 