The Portuguese paper company Altri is launching a calculated greenwashing campaign to rehabilitate its image for a controversial pulp factory in Palas de Rei, Galicia. By partnering with firms bearing "green" names and hiring high-profile political consultants, the corporation attempts to align its industrial project with sustainability and the green economy. This strategic rebranding aims to counteract significant opposition from local residents, environmental groups, and political actors who criticize the plant’s heavy environmental footprint and water consumption. Experts highlight that the pulp industry is inherently destructive, involving massive water extraction, deforestation through monocultures, and the release of toxic substances into air and waterways. However, Altri’s promotional materials deliberately obscure these realities, featuring idyllic imagery of nature to suggest ecological harmony. The company claims its facility uses advanced technology and produces biodegradable fibers, asserting compliance with all legal standards to downplay risks such as thermal pollution of local rivers and potential impacts on aquatic ecosystems and drinking water supplies. This case is relevant to greenwashing because it exemplifies how corporations co-opt environmental language and visual aesthetics to mislead the public about their true industrial impact. By leveraging political connections and framing a resource-intensive operation as an innovation leader, Altri attempts to neutralize dissent and secure public funding. This disconnect between the marketed "eco-friendly" narrative and the recognized environmental degradation of the paper sector illustrates the deceptive tactics used to legitimize harmful projects under the guise of sustainability.
Source: publico.esPublished on 2024-05-05