Greenwashing is broadly defined as the issue of false and misleading environmental claims. Throughout the last decade (at least), there have been many instances of companies being untruthful about their “greenness” and trying to turn a profit off of a sustainable appearance. Just recently, Bed Bath & Beyond, Nordstrom, and JC Penney were fined by the Federal Trade Commission for misleading environmental claims. Basically, the companies were falsely claiming their products were made from pure bamboo while they were really made of (potentially bamboo) rayon (a chemically processed fibre made from wood pulps). Each company was fined between $290K – $500K!
This is most definitely not the first time a big name company has been busted for over-exaggerating their environmental friendliness. In 2013, Coca-Cola claimed that their ‘PlantBottle’ packaging was “environmentally friendly” and “reduced [their] carbon footprint”, boasting 30% plant-based material. None of these claims were found to be true according to a Danish environmental group.
While morally wrong, I could see why a company might overstate their ‘greenness’, as this has become such a huge trend among consumers in the recent years. Many companies might be riding the wave of sustainability, and it can honestly be difficult sometimes to distinguish the true greens from the browns of the corporate world. As much as I wish I could say “I do my research before buying”, I rarely do. I tend to believe most things that are put in front of me- which is kind of terrible in terms of marketing and advertising. While I think corporations such as Greenpeace can be a little extreme, they are one way of sustainability ‘regulation’ in the corporate world. While there are many actual regulatory bodies for corporate industries, much of the power is held in the hands of consumers to figure out (and decide for ourselves) what is true and what is not. Truthfully, at times I don’t feel like I can make the best decisions.. I can only hope I get better with practice at differentiating reality from what I *want* to believe!
