What is Greenwashing and Why Is It Damaging?

You might have heard people use the phrase “greenwashing” when discussing businesses and their relationship with the environment, but what does it actually mean? We explore this concept, why it is dangerous and how you can avoid it.

What is greenwashing?

Greenwashing is when a company or organization spends more time and money on marketing themselves as environmentally friendly than on actually minimizing their environmental impact.

Many consumers now place sustainability and environmental impact at the heart of a purchase. Various surveys have revealed that customers are willing to pay more for environmentally friendly products.

Unfortunately, companies have become wise to this and frequently market themselves as a sustainable option in order to appeal to these customers, when the truth about their eco-credentials is usually a little murkier.

Greenwashing often involves misdirection – pointing to one singular aspect of a product/service that is eco-friendly while masking the fact that a company does many other damaging things.

What are some examples of greenwashing?

Sponsorships

Recently, a number of “major polluter” companies have been accused of greenwashing (or in this case “sports-washing”). In fact, a report by the New Weather Institute, charity Possible and the Rapid Transition Alliance identified more than 250 advertising sponsorship deals across 13 different sports.

The report’s authors argue that sport depends on a healthy climate and healthy air, but these companies are heavy polluters destroying the environment that we need to thrive. Sports sponsorships allow them to create a “healthy” image when this is far from the case.

Financial services

A group of MPs recently called for a ban on greenwashing in financial services. Their report urged the government to ensure financial regulation was in line with national environmental commitments and stated that: “It is clear that in some cases the labels or descriptions of ‘green’ or ‘climate-related’ indices do not necessarily match legitimate consumer expectations of what they would commonly be understood to mean”.

Greenwashing in finance relates to the marketing of products and investments to appear more sustainable and ethical than they truly are. The concerns relate to an understanding of what can be considered as “sustainable investments” and what activities banks are actually financing.

Fashion

Criticism of fast fashion as a major threat to the planet has grown in recent years, and many have begun to notice how clothing retailers use greenwashing.

A recent “Fossil Fashion” report by the Changing Markets Foundation suggested that the following are some common ways clothing companies use greenwashing tactics:

• Claim that synthetic fibres are more sustainable than cotton.
• Over-rely on words like “natural” and “organic”
• Emphasise recyclability when this only applies to a tiny proportion of their products.
• Tout certifications and sustainability programs that don’t amount to much.

Why is it damaging to the climate cause?

Greenwashing is damaging to the true cause of climate action because it can mislead people into acting unsustainably when they think they are helping the environment.

Moreover, the misdirection involved in greenwashing may direct attention towards the wrong kind of actions when tackling climate change. For example, encouraging customers to buy new “organic” clothes from companies that appear to use sustainable fabrics and engage in recycling programmes, when they are actually still involved in the damaging impact of fast fashion.

Greenwashing can perpetuate wider myths about what helps the planet and what doesn’t, which is dangerous at a time when facts and transparency are crucial.

How to avoid greenwashing

It can be hard to avoid greenwashing when it seems like so many companies are doing it! Here are some pointers:

• Ask yourself whether their proposals will actually cut carbon emissions.
• Double-check any environmental claims.
• Give preference to the companies that put all the information out there – transparency is key.
• Identify when you might be diverted from the big picture.
• Interrogate any buzzwords for real meaning.
• Always do your research! Most companies will have information about them online so you can find the truth behind their claims. (You can use SearchScene instead of Google if you do want to be more eco-friendly).