In times of climate change and environmental awareness, sustainability and responsible consumption have become urgent in daily life. Because of that, brands started following this “environmental trend”.
“Ecological Product”, “100% Natural”, “Plant-Based”. You have probably seen clothes, food and other articles with similar phrases on their labels. However, have you ever wondered if these words are actually true?
They use words like “sustainable”, “green” or “ecological” on labels and ads, but their production processes say otherwise: those companies still pollute, deforest, kill and destroy the environment. In these cases, that is not sustainability, it is Greenwashing.
Explaining the term
“Greenwashing” is a marketing strategy that realocates brands as “environmental friendly”, but the industries behind them still harm the planet somehow. Its purpose is to keep a good image instead of actually changing their production.
The word was used by the first time in 1986, when the environmentalist Jay Westerveld wrote a magazine essay about deceptive environmental propaganda, based on a personal experience in Fiji islands. Three years before, he had seen a note at a resort asking for the guests to reuse their towels, for environmental reasons; the same resort, however, devastated nature for expansion of its business. After he published that essay, “greenwashing” mentions increased nonstop, and so did the cases.
so… What can be considered greenwashing?
Greenwashing can be done in more than one way. The most common cases are the use of words, symbols and colors that refer to natural ingredients or recyclable materials, without transparency nor any other explanation about them. The Fiji Water campaign, for example, shows pictures of forests and natural landscapes, and it indirectly tells a message: “our water is natural”.
Other industries do one or two sustainable processes during the production, such as reducing carbon emissions, not testing in animals or using biodegradable materials, but other parts of the production and even brand positioning are not eco-friendly. And that is when costumers fall for it the most.
When brands show the few sustainable measures they are taking, we are given the impression that the commitment to the environment is real. This way, people who are looking for an ecological choice may buy producs from brands that hide acts of degradation, without even realizing it.
Examples of brands that commit greenwashing
1. shell
This british oil company is trying to pass a “carbon footprint reducer” image with sustainable fuel, but is still the 10th biggest carbon producer globally. One of its commercials claimed that Shell produces clean energy and it even got banned for “misleading advertising” in the United Kingdom.
2. coca-cola
Coca-Cola is a famous american brand of beverages, including the soda that gave it its name. Some of its advertisings say the packages and bottles are “100% recyclable”, but the brand is the biggest plastic producer in the world.
3. nestlé
The Swiss food brand is the 3rd biggest plastic waste producer. Besides, Nestlé has in their history a polemic of misleading advertisings of powdered milk that killed thousands of children in Africa during the 1970s; mothers were convinced that the product was as healthy as breast milk, and their babies weren’t consuming enough nutrients.
4. adidas
In 2021, Adidas released the Stan Smith shoe made of “50% recycled materials”, but the other half of the material is still synthetics. Moreover, other sneakers still contain synthetic fiber, leather and other prejudicial components without any change.
How to know if a brand is sustainable or not?
The first step is questioning if what these “eco-friendly” brands say is accurate. “Are they really responsible?” “What are they actually doing for the environment?”. If there is no transparency at first, search about companies, not limited to specific products.
Some of the elements that reveal a compromise with the environment are:
- Materials used;
- Production processes;
- Agendas defended by the brands;
- Testing procedures;
- Waste disposal;
- Energy/water usage;
- Working conditions.
Part of these criteria can be proven by certifications. Institutions committed to environmental protection such as FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and Vegan.org can label the product as recyclable or cruelty free, for example. But you must verify if the institution that gives certifications has credibility to do so.
It is important to remember that the customer is not to blame for buying “fake green products”, but if you fall for greenwashing, it’s better not to commit the same mistake again and change your consumption habits.
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The article above was edited by Larissa Olm.
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