The article “Google is Greenwashing, Paper Industry Claims”, from the site Environmental Leader, deals with the marketing ethics issue of “greenwash” (2013). Greenwash is marketing spin that promotes the perception of environmental friendliness, when a company is not actually being environmentally friendly or “green”. In this case, the multinational tech giant Google is accused of greenwashing in its “Go Paperless 2013” promotional campaign. The accuser is Two Sides, an international pulp and paper lobby group, who claim Google is making “spurious and unattributed” environmental claims. Two Sides is fighting Google’s marketing because it negatively affects public perception of the print industry, hurting their member companies’ business. Google, on the other hand, is using this campaign to encourage consumers to switch from print services to electronic/digital services. The situation is exacerbated by both media sensationalism about environmental trends and a lack of consumer knowledge about them. There is also a lack of concrete evidence comparing the environmental impact of the electricity used in digital communications to the environmental impact of print production. In considering this issue, marketing organizers need to remember that greenwashing can be used on both sides of the argument. It can be an unethical marketing practice, which Google may be using. The label greenwashing can also, however, be used by environmental opponents to criticize and condemn companies that are actually being environmentally friendly. In this case, Two Sides has a vested interest in condemning any company, Google included, that promotes the use of digital communications over print. This is just the most recent example of Two Sides using the label of greenwash to attack tech industry supporters of digital communications. They do not present credible proof that the environmental claims are untrue, but where does the burden of proof fall?
Referrence:
Google is Greenwashing, Paper Industry Claims. (January 9, 2013). Environmental Leader: Environmental & Energy Management News. Online.