Greenwashing – Definition, Examples and Tips to avoid

Greenwashing is a misleading act of an individual, organizations, industries, governments, etc. who promote their goods and services as eco-friendly through marketing, packaging, mislabelling, or advertising instead of implementing practices related to green manufacturing.

Consider an example of two similar products that compete against each other in the consumer market. Then one of them claims of being green or natural. This would project the product and associated brand as an environmentally conscious one- that would persuade consumers to choose it above the other product. But if such claims are just environmental marketing claims, and they are not true- then they would be understood as greenwashing environmental claims.

What is Greenwashing?

Greenwashing is an unethical marketing ploy employed by companies that attempt to dishonestly portray their goods as more eco-friendly than they truly are. The deceptive act of greenwashing can assume many guises– from employing ambiguous phrases to blatantly lying regarding the advantages of nature their product yields. Unfortunately, this tactic is widespread and it may be tough to tell when a business is honest about its ecological initiatives.

Every human being has a responsibility towards the environment. This is reflected via the attitude of the consumer who is looking out, especially for products that are advertised as being green or environmentally friendly. They are choosing healthy brands over products that are unsustainable and ecologically unsound. The surge in demand for products with significant environmental benefits leads to a widespread practice of greenwashing.

Business entities engage in greenwashing as offering environmental benefits and creative constructive environmental impact makes them look good before their customers. With such a misleading environmental claim, they are targeting the soft spot of the consumer and appealing to their emotions and beliefs for favorable sales figures. Greenwashing helps a brand gain a competitive advantage over its rival brands.

Why is greenwashing bad?

Greenwashing is a deceptive and unscrupulous practice that misinforms investors and consumers searching for responsible companies or products. Worse yet, green-labeled items can often be sold at an extra cost, leading shoppers to overspend. When unethical practices are brought to light, a company’s reputation and brand image can be significantly damaged.

Greenwashing can also confuse by making it difficult to identify which products are truly following sustainable business practices or green practices. In short, greenwashing is bad for both the environment and consumers.

Misleading consumers with false claims of sustainability erodes trust in the marketplace, sabotaging genuine environmental practices and creating an inaccurate idea of what is actually sustainable.

Examples of Greenwashing

The consumer market is full of organizations that are using deception to sell their products and services to innocent consumers. They have aligned with causes associated with environmental issues to persuade customers to their way of thinking.

The truth is that they are violating the environmental standards set up by domestic or international bodies by using wrongful marketing techniques. Some primary companies or brands that have been involved in greenwashing scandals are-

1. GreenPan

One of the significant greenwashing examples is GreenPan. The name itself is enough to attract consumers who are on the lookout for products with claims of being green.

It is a Belgian-based brand with an international presence. The company website states that its ceramic cookware is green as it is emitting 60% less CO2 during its manufacturing process.

As per the FTC guidelines, the claims are broad and unjust. This is why, in the year 2012, the brand was asked to discontinue the term environment-friendly. A class-action lawsuit against the brand has also been filed, citing that its green claims are also deceptive.

2. Fiji Water

Fiji Water is one of the top Canadian-origin brands in the market. In the year 2011, a lawsuit was filed against the company for using deceptive marketing techniques.

The company in its advertisements had given itself credit for carbon reductions, and as per the person who had filed the suit, it was forward crediting, and hence it was wrong.

The company was taking credit for something that had not yet happened. The company was forced to release a statement in the press that the carbon-negative aspects will not be realized until the year 2037.

Fiji Water is still using greenwashing and has been showing commercials that highlight “Created by Nature” ads. Single-use plastic bottles with bottled water are never a safe bet, but who is going to show the mirror to the organization and take it to task once again.

3. Volkswagen

Volkswagen is a German automaker with an international presence. Its popularity knows no bounds, and consumers almost revere its products. The company admitted to rigging millions of its diesel engines.

The engines were polluting nature way above the legal limits set by the regulatory bodies. Devices were created by the automaker to cheat the emissions rate during the tests. A lawsuit was filed against the brand, which later agreed to refund nearly 11 billion dollars to settle the claim to eco-minded consumers.

4. Nestle

In its advertisements, the world-renowned brand Nestle has made claims of “sustainably sourced cocoa beans.” In the year 2019, a class-action lawsuit was filed against the brand accusing it of false impressions.

The raw materials for the products were sourced from West Africa, and was leading to deforestation. Moreover, cocoa was purchased from farms where child labor was common. The brand was forced to release a statement that it was against child labor and was doing its utmost to stop these practices in the farms from where it sourced its raw materials.

5. LEI Electronics

The brand LEI Electronics is popular because of its carbon-neutral batteries. In the year 2016, a class-action suit was filed against the company by NAD, which stated that the company failed to provide information regarding emissions reductions.

The company’s claim of Eco Alkaline batteries was challenged by its competitor brand Energizer. The company was accused of greenwashing marketing.

How Greenwashing Works

In greenwashing, Products are often greenwashed to fuel the illusion that they’re more sustainable, organic, or contain fewer chemicals than their competitors. Through cleverly designed tactics like renaming and rebranding products and packaging them differently than before, companies can persuade us into believing such lies.

Be aware of greenwashing, or what is also commonly referred to as “green sheen,” which are deceptive advertising tactic employed by companies to mislead consumers about their product’s supposed environmental advantages.

Companies often take advantage of growing concern for sustainability by marketing their items as organic and healthy, without providing evidence that they are truly chemical-free or environment-friendly. It can be difficult to identify greenwashing when you’re shopping; however, being aware of the issue might help you make better consumption decisions and support companies with genuinely sustainable practices.

In the 1960s, hotels started using a form of greenwashing to save money on laundry costs. They would place notices in hotel rooms asking guests to reuse their towels for environmental purposes. This spawned the phrase we now use when companies may not be genuinely committed to protecting our environment, but instead are just trying to make it seem like they care – ‘greenwashing.’

How greenwashing harms a brand’s reputation

Greenwashing is a deceptive tactic that brands sometimes use to try and convince customers they are environmentally conscious. Unfortunately, this type of marketing often results in a reputation hit for the brand. Misrepresenting a product’s sustainability features through deceptive language can lead to serious repercussions, with consumers and stakeholders alike expressing dissatisfaction that will damage the brand image.

As society strives to live more sustainably, corporations are increasingly being held accountable for misleading customers with false environmental claims. Some of the negative effects of Greenwashing for a brand are-

• Undermining brand image
• Risk of being sued
• Losing B2B partners
• Financial losses
• Adverse environmental impacts
• Losing consumer trust
• Investigation
• Greenhushing
• Negative impact on innovation and healthy competition

Tips Brands should use to avoid Inadvertent Greenwashing

1. Don’t make misleading environmental claims – Ensure that your corporate environmental performance assertions are genuine and easy to understand. Mention the exact units of measurement as well as specific credentials from trustworthy third-party green associations such as Greenpeace or Sierra Club for validating your claims.
2. To authenticate your sustainability claims, provide verifiable data – Make sure that the current information is updated on your website and all other outlets where you are making these declarations. Don’t forget to back up those promises with real evidence! To guarantee credibility, take advantage of third-party certifications from reliable sources such as the Carbon Trust Standard, Forest Stewardship Council, Rainforest Alliance, or Energy Star.
3. Do a comparison of the same product type – To ensure you don’t misinform consumers, make sure to evaluate the same product type when measuring your item’s sustainability against a rival. If your product helps in reducing greenhouse gas emissions then your green advertising should compare it with similar types of environmentally friendly products.
4. Be open and up-front about your brand’s sustainability policies – Educate customers on the environmental impact of each product, as well as your company’s dedication to environment-friendly practices overall. When discussing plans or ambitions, be explicit regarding goals and due dates – this will demonstrate your commitment while allowing consumers to hold you accountable for achieving these objectives.
5. Don’t use misleading images in ads or packaging – Avoid any false advertisement by ensuring that images on ads or packages are accurately reflective of reality. It’s important to pay attention to the symbolism used in your visuals, particularly when it comes to socially responsible environment-friendly products or branding: using colors such as green and imagery depicting nature like trees and flowers should only be done if you truly have an environmentally conscious product.

How can you spot greenwashing brands?

Consumer demand associated with green purchasing intentions should always be protected by having the ability to spot greenwashing practices. If you are interested in avoiding brands that follow greenwashing, then look for the following signs –

• Labels and certifications – Several items need labels and proper certifications for identification purposes. Vegetarian food items have to be certified before the packaging shows a green mark. Similarly, vendors dealing in Khadi products will need a certificate and registration number from the proper authorities. Organic cosmetic products will require a certificate stating the items are organic. Consumers can look for the labels and certificates to know whether the claims are valid or not and thus avoid greenwashing.
• Irrelevant claims – Have you heard any claim from a reputed brand, and your instant reaction was that it is absurd? We come across several irrelevant claims that we are sure it is not possible. Think twice before buying from such brands. If in doubt research and try to find the answer to simple questions like is it possible, were the products tested, does the brand have a proper certificate to prove the authenticity of their claims, etc.? Remember adequate research can help you in avoiding greenwashing brands
• Misleading claims – It is a fact that some companies have introduced a product or service in the consumer market that is eco-friendly, and they have tried to project as if all the other products of the brand are also eco-friendly by association. Consumers need to be extra vigilant so that they can avoid products with such misleading claims
• Confusing claims – Some brands try to confuse consumers by using complicated words that look good on hearing but give false projections. A leading brand recently used the term vegan to describe a cigarette. How can smoking even be good for a human being is a hundred-dollar question. What has the word vegan have to do with a cigarette? These are simple ways to confuse the consumer. He will think that a vegan cigarette is in the market, and this will not prove harmful, so let me switch to this brand. Look for confusing signs and try to think whether it is possible or not before being hoodwinked by greenwashing.
• Baseless claims – Companies have been known to make baseless claims without any proof. Think and determine whether it is possible or not, and if yes, then how is it possible? Once you start asking relevant questions, it will become easy to determine which company is practicing ethical standards and which one is greenwashing.
• Eco-friendly products vs. a dirty company – Sometimes, the products are natural and eco-friendly, but the places where they are manufactured have atrocious conditions. The manufacturers use child labor, and the factory waste pollutes the air as well as the river where the harmful waste is dumped. What is the use of buying eco-friendly products if they are created in a hazardous and toxic environment?
• First impressions – Images are often used in advertising as well as packaging as an integral part of advertising. Most consumers are in a hurry to buy things, and the first thing that attracts them is the images. They do not bother to read the fine print or the label in some cases. Using the images of Earth, flowers, and forests show that you are an eco-friendly brand, but the fact is often very different. The sweeping claims are part of greenwashing tactics to attract innocent consumers, and you must look beyond those images to find out the truth.
• Suggestive pictures – Consumers should beware of suggestive pictures that give the impression of being green. Do not buy such products before verifying their claims
• Outright lies – Some companies have no shame in telling outright lies. Beware of them if you wish to avoid greenwashing.
• Misleading product names – To cash in on the rising sentiments of the consumer, the brands have started using names of the product that will give an impression of being green or all-natural. Double-check and be sure before making a purchase.

How the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Helps Protect Consumers

The U.S. FTC strives to ensure a fair marketplace by safeguarding consumers through the enforcement of important laws. To tell genuine green products apart from those that have been merely “greenwashed,” the FTC offers insightful guidelines that can be utilized as valuable resources –

• A product’s green claims should be expressed in clear, easy-to-understand language and properly sized type on the packaging and advertisements, next to the claim itself.
• When making an environmental marketing claim, it is essential to clearly state if the statement applies to the product itself, its packaging, or just a part of either.
• Companies should neither exaggerate nor suggest that their product has an environmental advantage or benefit in their marketing claims.
• Producers are obligated to provide evidence for any claims they make regarding their product’s superiority over competitors.

Difference between green marketing and greenwashing

It’s important to differentiate between green marketing and greenwashing. Green marketing is when businesses offer items or services based on genuine ecological advantages while greenwashing involves deceptive practices that mislead customers about the company’s commitment to sustainability.

Green marketing is a transparent, reliable, and ethical approach to selling products or services that meet the following criteria –

• Crafted sustainably with the planet in mind
• Safe from toxic materials and ozone-depleting substances
• Manufactured using recycled materials or easily recyclable afterward, this product is both earth-friendly and sustainable
• Constructed from sustainable sources like bamboo
• Crafted from materials obtained in a way that safeguards protected areas and doesn’t harm threatened or endangered species
• Manufactured through ethical labor practices and with fair wages for employees.
• Minimizes its packaging for a more sustainable approach
• Crafted to be mended and reused rather than discarded
• Helps in carbon offsets to meet environmental responsibility

Conclusion!

Consumers are slowly and steadily changing their purchasing behavior and consumption habits. As per the statistics, 41% of consumers are willing to pay more for natural products.

This is why most business entities have been forced to take steps in the right direction and minimize their carbon footprint. Organizations want to cash in on this rising phenomenon and have taken the help of deceitful language or advertising gimmick to claim that it is also a well-wisher of mother earth.

It is a fact that a company that is involved in greenwashing will spend more money on advertising than on practices that are environmentally sound and safe.

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