In the past 20 years, as society has become increasingly concerned about the human impact on the environment, being 'green', or finding ways to reduce your impact on the environment, has gone from something championed by a vocal few to a major mainstream force. And coincident with this greening trend has come a marked increase in green marketing by companies of all shapes and sizes. It's not enough, these days, for a product to be the biggest, brightest and fastest; now it has to be the greenest, the cleanest, the most energy efficient.
Green advertising[advertising?:advertising material cutting machine] has been around as long as the environmental movement itself: the first green ads showed up in the 1960s, when the environmental movement first began to gain momentum. But it has only been in the last two decades that a critical mass of companies have really started 'greening' themselves. But how much of this 'greening' is spin, and how much is reflective of real action being taken? And how can you tell if what you're buying is actually good for the environment?
Consumers are becoming increasingly suspicious of what is called 'greenwashing'––companies using green marketing devices to foster an environmentally responsible public image while doing very little to actually change the way they operate.
The public genuinely wants to see companies move toward more environmentally responsible ways of working, and they want to support these companies. But without a clear framework to distinguish genuine claims from greenwashing, consumers are getting confused and even disheartened by the sheer weight of claims they're coming across every day.
To help consumers sort the wheat from the chaff, there are now a number of watchdog organisations and web sites, both in Australia and abroad, that 'out' companies they think are talking the talk but not walking the walk. Consumer watchdog Choice recently undertook an investigation of green claims on supermarket labels, and found that greenwashing was 'out of control' on supermarket shelves, and had gotten significantly worse since their last investigation in 1996.
Environmental marketing firm Terrachoice did an even more far-reaching investigation, studying over 2000 products and related 5000 claims in North America. In their damning report, The Seven Sins of Greenwashing, Terrachoice found that 98% of the products they surveyed committed at least one of their seven sins.
The seven sins of greenwashing
So what are the seven cardinal sins of greenwashing?
1. The hidden trade off. This means claims made about a product's greenness that selectively focus on one attribute to the exclusion of equally important factors. This might be a packaging[packaging?:DCP-H series packaging sample cutter plotter] company, for instance, who tells you that their plastic[plastic?:Plastic sample cutting machine] comes from recycled sources, while failing to mention that their greenhouse emissions are through the roof, or that they use a range of nasty chemicals in their manufacturing.
2. The sin of no proof. This one is pretty obvious: environmental claims made by companies that can't be readily verified, or that don't carry a credible third-party certification. We've all seen it: pretty packaging adorned with those telltale visual signifiers of green––the pictures of lush meadows and bright blue skies, or the rough, recycled-looking cardboard packaging––in place of actual, verifiable information.
3. The sin of vagueness. Many products these days make claims that are misleadingly vague or broad, using words like 'natural', 'green', 'eco' and 'sustainable'. Problem is, these words have no real meaning unless they are accompanied by details of what the company is actually doing to reduce its environmental impact. Arsenic, for instance, it 100% natural, but that doesn't mean you want it in your food!
4. The sin of worshipping false labels. This is where companies add fake labels suggesting third-party certification or endorsement where none exists. A paper[paper?:paper sample maker cutting machine] company might add an FSC logo, for instance, to a range of office paper that the FSC has never ever seen, let alone verified and approved.
5. The sin of irrelevance. Some companies make claims that, while true in a narrow sense, are either unimportant or unhelpful to consumers. Terrachoice uses the example of a product advertising that their products are CFC-free: sounds responsible, but it's actually law––CFCs have been banned since the mid 1990s.
6. The sin of the lesser of two evils. This refers to claims that, again, might be true in a narrow sense, but are really designed to distract you from the fact that the product you're buying is, by definition, very far from being green. Terrachoice uses the example of organic cigarettes, or a fuel-efficient SUV.
7. The sin of fibbing. The last sin is also the simplest: claims that are downright false. If a product is claiming to be carbon neutral, or to use only sustainable paper products, is there any certification or further details that this is being done? Look for trustable certification logos like FSC and GECA, which are good signs the product is what it says it is, or see if there is any detailed, verifiable information on the company's website.
What you can do
Packaging is central to this whole debate: for consumers, packaging is the main point of contact they have with a brand; for companies, it's the best place to show off any green credentials they might have.
So how can companies with credible environmental claims use packaging to distinguish themselves from the greenwashers? Go greener, Australia, a site offering hints and tips on living sustainable, recently published a helpful list of three telltale signs of greenwashing you can tell from a product's packaging. Avoiding these signs, and being conscious of the seven sins, is a great place to start.
Be transparent. Differentiate your brand through a clear message and checkable facts. If you use a large amount of recycled paper in your packaging, for instance, look into getting FSC certification. Explain, as clearly and specifically as you can, anything you use that is beneficial to the environment, and anything harmful you avoid.
If you're doing good work for the environment, you have every right to let your customers know. If you're still on the way to greening your business, however, it's probably best to wait until you have some real, verifiable evidence of your environmental responsibility before making any green claims. In the current consumer environment, unsubstantiated green marketing can do you a lot more harm than good.
