This blog will explain the concept of Green Washing. First of all we will discuss the concept of greenwashing. Then it will explain the Examples of Greenwashing. At second, it will mention some of the popular companies that are using greenwashing. It also tell us that how we can spot Greenwashing. Then we will discuss the impacts of greenwashing and what should be our role in managing it. This blog contains Examples, Impacts and companies of Greenwashing.
What is Green Washing?
Greenwashing is the term used to describe a false, untrue and misleading or sets of claims by an organization about positive impact that a product, company and service has on the environment.
We can also call Greenwashing as green sheen is a form of advertisement or marketing spin that is used to force the public about any environmentally friendly act about their product that is not true.
It is a misleading act that persuades the customers to believe on their products or services. It is like promising something and giving nothing in return. Greenwashing is helping companies to grow faster and help to build trust on them. But actually they are betraying their customers on every purchase.
They show sustainability in their products so that public buy it with confidence that it is environmentally friendly. Company makes unsubstantiated claims about the to deceive the customers into believing that the product the company is offering is friendly on environment or don’t cause any bad impact on the environment.
In the late 60’s the harmful impacts of industrialization were exposed to the public that how the exploitation of natural resources and the elimination of toxins directly to the environment is deteriorating the nature. Some organizations like UN take initiatives and set some limits to the industrial emissions and how much resource consumption will be legal.
Still there are companies who are not able to make their desired profits by staying within the prescribed limits. Such companies alter the truth and market themselves as sustainable/eco-friendly/environment friendly etc. Though they are neither completely wrong nor speaking the truth. This blog provides you the examples, companies and impacts of Greenwashing.
Examples of Greenwashing
Certainly! Here are some recent examples of greenwashing:
Innocent (2022):
Issue: Insincere TV adverts.
Details: Innocent Drinks serves as a striking illustration of an unlikely approach. Owned by Coca Cola, the world’s leading plastic polluter, Innocent Drinks continues to use single-use plastic, which significantly harms the environment. Curiously, the company decided to release whimsical TV cartoon ads featuring adorable animals singing about recycling and environmental conservation, attempting to bridge the gap between their brand and these conflicting practices.
Luckily, the ASA stepped in and banned the ludicrous ads after they were reported by Plastic Rebellion.
Keurig:
Issue: Misleading recycling claims.
Context: a coffee capsule company growing so fast but cannot solve the issue of its single use plastic pods that are not recyclable by the local trash recycling bins but only with specialized bins. They led their buyers believe that they can simply recycle the coffee pods by breaking open the top and emptying the carcass into recycling bins. Which is not true off course. In the Toronto City alone they had to recycle about 90 tones of plastic pods.
Keurig was to pay $3M and ask to change the misleading recycling claims on the packaging.
Ikea:
Issue: Accredited illegal logging.
Explanation: IKEA is the largest consumer of wood in the world, and its timber consumption has doubled in the last decade. An investigation by Earth sight found that IKEA has been making Beachwood chairs using illegally sourced wood from the forests of Ukraine’s Carpathian region, an area home to endangered beasts such as bears, lynxes, wolves, and bison.
Windex:
Issue: Misleading plastic packaging claims.
Example: The glass cleaner by SC Johnson claimed its bottles were made from 100% “ocean plastic”. It was pulled from plastic banks in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Haiti. We can call this type of plastic as ocean-bound plastic because it would have otherwise ended up in the ocean. Windex made deceptive claims about its plastic packaging, emphasizing sustainability while ignoring other environmental impacts.
H&M:
Issue: Insincere sustainable fashion claims.
Details: The fast fashion industry is notorious for its environmental impact, so a level of greenwashing is to be expected there. H&M faced scrutiny for its sustainability claims, raising questions about its actual practices.
H&M were found to be the worst offenders with a shocking 96% of their claims not holding up.
Remember, greenwashing can be subtle, so staying informed helps you spot these tactics and make more conscious choices as a consumer. These are some of the companies that use greenwashing. Other than these companies, many other companies also do the same to grab attention of the people to increase their consumers and make them more satisfied with your product. Following are the multinational companies that are using Greenwashing:
How to Spot Greenwashing?
• Misleading plastic packing claims:
It is claimed by many large companies that they are using recycled plastics but it is the biggest producer of plastic wastes, so there is not change in the environment
• Misleading recycling claims:
Companies claim to recycle their wastes and help to reduce wastes in the country. But actually we do not practice it and apply it but only promise.
• False low-emission claims:
Some companies portray that they are producing low emissions in the manufacturing of their products. But in reality it is not true and they are harming environment equally as compared to other industries.
• False presentation of the product:
Some times the products are presented in a false way that portray the product suitable or beneficial for the environment. But actually they are making no change in making benefits for the environment. etc.
Companies that use Green Washing:
Following are the multinational companies that are using Greenwashing:
BP
Nestle Dairy
Unilever
HSBC
These are some of the companies that use greenwashing. Other than these companies, many other companies also do the same to grab attention of the people to increase their consumers and make them more satisfied with your product. This blog contains examples, impacts and companies of Greenwashing.
Impact of Greenwashing on consumers/economy/climate change
Greenwashing is just a bad publicity stunt in marketing. With greenwashing you lose your honesty and trust of your consumers and costumers. One of the most important part about being a producer is to stay honest and does not claim the services and practices that you cannot provide. With the term greenwashing companies are not just making their costumers fool but also damaging the environment more rapidly. With major concerns related to plastic pollution and GHGs emission. Due to the false claims greenwashing misleads its consumers and made them invest in climate change. It undermines the efforts of others who are diligently working for the conservation and protection of the planet and our environment.
More and more companies are investing their physical and financial resources to appear environmentally friendly rather than actually solving the problems. They boost about being responsible and more sustainable but actually cannot implement the basic environmental laws within their companies. Only if they can spend a minimum of their marketing budget in implementing the rules and regulations, they can play a better role in conservation of environment and can also save a lot of bucks which they have to pay as fines and penalties.
What can we do?
We can deal greenwashing by boycotting those companies that are practicing greenwashing. The boycott will cause the company to expose with the loss and denial. This will increase awareness among people and it should negotiate about it in the get together. In this way most of the people will be aware about the companies that are using greenwashing. This will force those companies to be honest with the customers and show what they actually do. Multinational law institutes should take action against these companies with time so that can resolve the issue.
Conclusion:
Greenwashing is the act of misleading and misguiding people about your product that it is beneficial for the environment or environmentally friendly. It portrays that the product is sustainable so that it will not harm the environment. But in reality, they are producing more environmental issues in return and not solving any of them. We can call this process as Greenwashing. We should first take actions against the companies that use greenwashing and try to boycott them in order to do something beneficial for the environment. This is a bad practice according to ethics and manners because people buy your products by trusting your words and ads. This is dishonesty by your sincere customers. Greenwashing should not be promoted and appreciated in the world. We should work on greenwashing to make our environment full with sustainable products, services and companies. This blog contains examples, impacts and companies of Greenwashing.
To read more about Environmental education, visit the links below:
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