Post: The third, or The grass is always greener.

As an owner of an environmentally conscious apparel design firm, I would like to shed some light on the problem of greenwashing.  Greenwashing is a practice used by some companies to give the illusion that their products are more environmentally sound than they really are.  It is an unethical practice that confuses consumers and sometimes shakes consumer confidence in truely green products if they find the product purchased is not actually what they paid for.  Currently, greenwashing falls under the heading of false advertising, which can be hard to prove.  Greenwashing is a long standing problem that needs much more attention.

Just what is greenwashing?  There are a number of definitions, but for the sake of reliability, here are two.  The first is from The World Summit "(the) phenomenon of socially and environmentally destructive corporations attempting to preserve and expand their markets by posing as friends of the environment and leaders in the struggle to eradicate poverty." (Linder 2010. p9) and the Oxford English Dictionary defines it as "disinformation disseminated by an organization so as to present an environmentally responsible public image" (Linder 2010. p10).  So, while some definitions are more vague and some are more reactionary, these are the ones I feel are most effective.

Considering these definitions, the act of greenwashing is highly unethical.  Given the hightened awareness of our responsibility to the environment, more consumers are spending more and taking more time to select "green" products.  When the product they buy is not what they have been led to believe, the producer of that product is creating a false image and violating the consumer's trust.  A good example would be British Petroleum.  Over the last few years, BP changed it's logo to a green and yellow sunburst type flower with the letters bp in green above.  Their slogan also changed to "Beyond Petroleum".  Their advertisements focused on the ways they were moving toward greener processes.  However, hot on the heels of an explosion at their refinery in Texas which killed 15, BP's negligence caused an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that dwarfs that of the Exxon Valdez (Mulkern. 2010).

When consumers are met with cases like BP, or with aisles full of "All Natural" products, they can start to become confused about just what is and is not environmentally friendly.  This, in turn can cause consumers to loose confidence in products that are organic, recycled or otherwise environmentally sound.  How many times have you been comparing two breakfast cereals, one that is certified organic and the other is made from organic ingredients?  What about when you look over and see yet another that says it is made with all natural ingredients?  Two of those terms are defined by the USDA, the third is greenwashing.  Certified Organic means that the product is 100% organic as defined by the USDA.  Products that are 95% organic can use the label Organic.  If the product contains at least 70%, it can use the wording "made with organic ingredients" (Mayo Clinic Staff. 2010).   The terms "all natural", "made with natural ingredients" and others are simply green marketing, but have not legal definition. 

Overall, the only law that greenwashing can run afoul of is false advertising.  False advertising is defined as "Any advertising or promotion that misrepresents the nature, characteristics, qualities or geographic origin of goods, services or commercial activities" (Farlex.  2011).  Outside of that, informing the public about greenwashing and prevention of it are in the hands of the citizens.  In the interest of providing the best information available on the process of greenwashing in order to save credibility of those businesses who are providing good, environmentally friendly products, here is my letter.  Hopefully, the next time you are in the grocery store, or in the outdoors gear supplier and reach for the Natural cereal or the recycled polyester coat, you will be able to make a more confident choice that you are getting the product you really want.



Linder, Marcus. (2010?)A critical review of greenwash definitions.  Center for Business Innovation.  Sweden

Mulkern, Anne C.  (2010).  BP's Oil spill bill could dwarf Exxon's Valdez tab.  New York Times.  New York

Mayo Clinic Staff.  (2010) Organic foods: Are they safer? More nutritious?
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/organic-food/NU00255

Natural-Environment.com. (2008). http://www.natural-environment.com/blog/2008/01/27/why-recycled-polyester-isnt-necessarily-eco-friendly/

Farlex.The Free Dictionary.  (2011).  False Advertising. http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/False+Advertising