These days, green is the new black, is the starting line of an article on the Greenpeace International’s website. The article illustrates how corporates are keen on getting a green tag to their products and in the process declare to the world that their firm follows environmental norms. Thus the companies declare themselves ‘green’, a trend called ‘greenwashing’ .
To quote Greenpeace, “The term was coined around 1990 when some of America’s worst polluters (including DuPont, Chevron, Bechtel, the American Nuclear Society and the Society of Plastics Industry) tried to pass themselves off as eco-friendly at a trade fair taking place in Washington, DC.
According to investopedia, greenwashing happens “when a company, government or other group promotes green-based environmental initiatives or images but actually operates in a way that is damaging to the environment or in an opposite manner to the goal of the announced initiative.
This can also include misleading customers about the environmental benefits of a product through misleading advertising and unsubstantiated claims.” Businessdictionary.com states, “when a corporation supports the efforts of going green but, in turn, damages the ecosystem by manufacturing harmful products or providing detrimental services it is greenwashing.”
As we experience more environmental dilapidation we also see more uproar against these issues. Media, non-governmental organisations and advocacy groups are taking up problems related to environment. There is also an increased awareness among the general public. Factors like these force business organisations to portray their products ‘green’, or, in other words, tell the world that their manufacturing process is eco-friendly and they do not violate any environment laws.
However, to know whether they are really clean and green we need to understand the real situation better. For example, a firm may proclaim that notebooks manufactured by it are eco-friendly because the wood pulp used for production is sourced from renewable plantations developed and maintained by it. This alone will not give them the right to claim that their product is eco-friendly.
The whole process related to manufacturing and delivery needs to be environmentally responsive. Only if they follow all the environmental laws, employ eco-friendly processes while bleaching and the like can the product be called eco-friendly. Similarly all products labelled as organic may not be 100 per cent pesticide or chemical free.
They need to be tested and certified by an authority of repute. But not many companies do this, though all claim they do.
Apart from products the firms use other means to improve their green image.
Supporting sapling planting initiatives, adoption and care of public parks and sponsoring beach clean-ups are few of the many campaigns they use to boost their image.
An average urban human stumbles upon many green products and campaigns.
Hence, it is hard for a normal person to differentiate a truly green product from a deceptive one and also whether a company is amplifying its negligible contribution to environment.
In order to help people there are several organisations that give us the necessary information on products and firms.
There are also websites like coopamerica.org, treehugger.com, corpwatch.org, greenbiz.com and DotheRightThing.org provide data and information on companies and more importantly scan the past and present record of firms’ legally unjustified activities, question polluters and stop environmental crimes.
However, I believe that these organisations or websites can only be guiding forces. Environment ethics in the corporate world will become a reality only if businessmen and entrepreneurs make an attempt to change for the better. Many people want the environment cleaned up, but don't want to make the lifestyle changes to help the cause. Individual choices can make a major difference to the environment.
So let us stop greenwashing, make the necessary lifestyle changes and educate ourselves on environmental issues to be able to differentiate true green products from the hoaxes.