The ethical business sector is currently worth around £122 billion, so it’s something most business and corporations want to make part of their business. They know the general public now have an expectation that companies will do their part in tackling climate change and it is often seen as a positive selling point if a company seems to be going above and beyond to contribute to the solution.
Greenwashing is where a company portrays an eco conscious image in order to make the consumer believe that if they buy their product then they will themselves be helping towards tackling the climate crisis. It can in some cases be a deception or a mis direction. By using tactics such as nature inspired words/names or colours, it can imply a product has been designed with the environment in mind or that the companies first priority is the planet but unfortunately this is often not the case.
If someone tells you they are offering a ‘green’ solution, do you just take them a face value? You wouldn’t just accept they were their product was the cheapest just because they told you, you would do some research. The same applies here – you can do your research and vote with your feet and clicks and not buy in to the eco catfishing we’re being fed.
Here are some tips on what to look out for
Lack of evidence to back up their claims: When they just want you to believe what they say without actually offering any facts or evidence
Using buzzwords or images with “green” implications: Maybe they are using pictures of nature on their adverts or packaging
Carbon offsetting: This is something a lot of companies offer right now. So they may encourage you to buy a non eco product but then claim they will carbon offset your purchase. If they’re that serious about the environment then make the whole purchase eco friendly and even further their business – planting a tree ain’t going to solve this issue!
Some but not all: You may see only certain products from the company are environmentally friendly but that they still sell lots of products which are not
The below are symbols/ accreditations can be trusted
- Leaping Bunny - product has not been tested on animals.
- B Corp – This is an accreditation companies can schieve if they show to do beneficial things for the environment and the people who help create their products.
- Carbon Trust - meets a certain standard of carbon emission reduction, meaning the product is trying to minimise its carbon impact.
- Fairtrade - the product has been made by people who received a fair wage for their work.
- Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) - the product is made using sustainable or responsibly managed wood sources
I’m going to leave you with some examples large corps who have been accused of Greenwashing.
Shell: You may have seen the adverts about the greener future of Shell and the drive to move to electric charging and cleaner energy: They are actually the 4th worst polluters on the planet.
H&M: You might think hey what but they have the HMConscious campaign? Yes they do, but did you know that from the clothes put in their recycling bins that less then 35% are actually recycled?! H&M have also been embroiled in workers rights abuse as well….all in all not so eco.
Starbucks: In 2018, Starbucks launched a straw less lid however it was found out that the new lid actually contained more plastic then the original lid and straw combined. What’s more, the plastic they used couldn’t be widely recycled…great solution to the problem guys!