Greenwashing 101

Think about car companies advertising their new ‘fuel efficient’ line of SUV’s shown crawling over rocks in pristine environments, or those new biodegradable plastic bags that may break down better than traditional plastic bags, but still rely on large amounts of petroleum in the production process, or large energy companies partnering with wildlife preservation organizations while at the same time pushing legislation to drill for oil in environmentally sensitive areas like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).

These images and campaigns so prevalent in our media represent an attempt by many organizations, both political and not, to cash-in on a movement where green business is good business.

We have witnessed a revolution with the greening of business in the last decade. It is not only the responsibility of individuals to make changes, to care; it is the responsibility of the corporations, government, and small businesses to make those necessary changes as well. It makes environmental sense to reduce waste, use less energy, support sustainable materials and manufacturing processes, but it also makes business sense. As an increasing number of businesses are adhering to this mindset, others are attempting to capitalize on it through the use of greenwashing.

Greenwashing is the misrepresentation or falsification of either positive or negative environmental impacts. It is typically visible through marketing and advertising campaigns. The tenth edition of the Oxford Dictionary defines greenwash as “disinformation disseminated by an organization so as to present an environmentally responsible public image”.

Often, greenwash is difficult to notice and the average consumer can be knowingly or unknowingly affected by it. As informed consumers and citizens, we can make the effort to care, root out misinformation, and hold these organizations accountable for their perceived actions and public appearance.

There are many resources that help the average consumer weed out organizations involved in greenwash. Here are a few I’ve found helpful:

• www.greenwashingindex.com – A great resource defining greenwash, a simple tool for identifying greenwash, and a place for people to post and rate the most recent advertisements for their greenwashing potential.
• www.terrachoice.com – Identifies “The Six Sins of Greenwashing,” the most common ways that organizations mislead consumers.
• www.sourcewatch.org – Defines greenwash, lists reasons that organizations participate in greenwashing, posts information about greenwashing organizations, identifies more in depth methods for uncovering greenwash (following paper and money trails, for example), and conducts studies on mostly consumer products to identify greenwash.
• www.greenwashing.net – Identifies “America’s Ten Worst Greenwashers.” A good resource but it is a bit out of date.

Do your part to be as green as possible today.

About the Author:

Stefan Peter-Contesse is a recent college graduate from Colorado looking to find his way in the environmental and/or recreation fields in Nashville, TN. He is a skier, snowboarder, backpacker, runner, and overall outdoor recreation enthusiast. He couples these activities with his interests in social and environmental change. He can be reached at Stefanpc@hotmail.com