Even in these economically depressing times consumers continue to send strong environmental signals through their purchasing decisions, and it’s no wonder companies have become so keen to advertise their green credentials. However, jumping on the green bandwagon can not only cause a seriously embarrassing misfire if a company cannot back up their claims of eco-friendliness, but it can also detract from genuine corporate environmental good practice.
There are obvious steps that can be taken to avoid accusations of greenwash. Some of the key lessons to come out of the greenwash backlash include, most obviously, not trying to paint yourselves green if you know in your heart of hearts that your business or product simply isn’t. Remember the big picture and don’t hypocritically try and push strong green marketing of one area of operations while attempting to ignore other areas where practices are highly unsustainable. Your customers are not going to thank you for treating them like idiots.
The other lesson most companies have learned by now is to watch their language. Be careful, don’t use hyperbole, or try and hit customers with suspiciously fluffy language or incomprehensible science. Also, don’t go hunting for random green aspects in a product when you’ve never considered its entire lifecycle – chances are for every environmentally friendly point you try to market canny consumers and competitors will find all the toxic and unsustainable practices associated with it too. Take your time, do your background research, and try and get your claims independently verified by a reputable third party.
But are NGOs and other greenwash watchdogs being too harsh and rigid on companies trying to present themselves as green or ethically responsible? Sure it’s hypocritical but is there too little understanding of the challenges that companies, especially large ones, sometimes face? A company may claim to adhere to international best practice in terms of say, recycling or waste throughout its supply chain, but consistently achieving this through suppliers who may be on the other side of the world in countries with a very different definition of best practice is an immense challenge. The majority of companies accused of greenwash or false advertising are most likely guiltier of naiveté and ignorance than any intentional deceit. At a recent Green Monday roundtable the topic turned to frustrations with NGOs for too often publicly undermining corporate green initiatives, rather than welcoming that companies are indeed attempting to change their behaviour. Are NGO’s shooting themselves in the foot by so aggressively attacking guilty practitioners of greenwash? Are you wary of promoting your company’s green initiatives for fear of being hammered for any unseen inconsistencies or glitches? NGOs and industry and advertising watchdogs of course serve a useful purpose, and working constructively with them rather than turning inwards can greatly improve your perception in the market and performance on green issues, but when the risk to your reputation lies on just a few pieces of public criticism it’s not hard to see why companies go on the defensive.
So let’s hear from you: how do you perceive greenwash? Do people make too much of it, or is it genuinely damaging the green revolution? Have you learned the perils of green wash the hard way? Or are you frustrated by continuing examples of green wash in your market?
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