Greenwashing
A term you all may have recently become familiar with is “greenwashing.” But what does it mean and what does it entail? In this post we’re giving you all a quick rundown of what greenwashing is and why it's becoming increasingly dangerous as the climate crisis worsens.
According to National Geographic, greenwashing “is a form of misinformation often used to entice an aspiring green consumer.” Essentially, greenwashing is utilizing false claims and information to make a product or service seem more environmentally friendly or conscious then it actually is.
This can present itself in many different ways. In some cases, it’s blatant advertising claiming that a product is made from recycled materials when in reality it is made of newly produced polypropylene. In other cases it can be less noticeable. An example of this would be a company that produces products that have adverse impacts on the environment, but have a couple environmentally friendly ones that they advertise to make the entirety of the corporation look more “green.”
A great article was produced by UL Solutions on the seven different types of greenwashing, or the “seven sins of greenwashing,” and can be found here. Take a look to see how greenwashing can take many different forms!
Luckily, greenwashing is currently regulated by the Federal Trade Commission in the U.S. and has been since 1992. Unfortunately, this has not stopped companies from falsifying their environmental impact— “In recent years, the agency has filed lawsuits against Walmart and Kohl’s for marketing rayon textiles as environmentally friendly bamboo, and Volkswagen for lying about their cars’ fuel efficiency” (National Geographic).
With the growing demand of consumers wanting to be more eco-friendly (which is awesome!) greenwashing gets increasingly more dangerous. If awareness is not spread on the impacts of greenwashing and we are not double checking the sources for these products and companies the issue will only get worse.
Now that you have some background as to what greenwashing is, we have compiled a few actions you can take to help combat greenwashing.
Fact check: look at the sources of the materials used in a product and do some research on the company producing it
Good on You: an app that evaluates the sustainability of products and companies and gives you more environmentally-conscious alternatives!
Spread awareness: warn others about how common greenwashing is becoming and stay on your toes
For more information, the National Geographic article is linked down below :)
- Kendall
