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How to Avoid Greenwashing: Tips for Honest Sustainability Communication

Published: 2024-01-03

edie’s ENGAGE 2024 online event wants to help businesses communicate their sustainability efforts better. The event has three webinar sessions about sustainability reporting and communications. These sessions will cover topics like making honest disclosure strategies, avoiding greenwashing, and using meaningful data. By going to the event, businesses can learn how to avoid lying about sustainability and tricking people with green marketing and eco-washing.

People need to know about greenwashing and what it means. Greenwashing is when a company lies or exaggerates about how good their product, service, or company is for the environment. Some companies do this to seem more sustainable or eco-friendly than they really are. This can trick people and stop real efforts to help the environment.

Companies use different tricks to greenwash their products or services. One trick is using words like “eco-friendly” or “green” without any proof or details to back up their claims. Another trick is showing a small improvement while ignoring bigger problems. Companies might also use pictures or symbols that make them look responsible for the environment, even if they’re not.

Companies can greenwash in different ways, like using ads that lie, packaging that tricks people, or fake certifications. For example, a company might say their product is made from recycled materials, but it’s really only a little bit recycled. Another example is when a company says a product is “natural” or “organic,” but it has chemicals or pesticides that are bad for the environment.

A recent example of greenwashing is when the meat and dairy industries said they could be “climate neutral.” This was misleading because they used a new way to measure it called GWP* and downplayed how much they really hurt the climate. They could say they were climate neutral by just reducing a little bit of methane, even though they still hurt the climate overall. This tricks people and makes it harder to reduce emissions from all industries.

People need to know about greenwashing because they might support companies that don’t really care about the environment. If people believe greenwashing claims, they might help make the environment worse without knowing it. People need to be careful and think when they see claims about sustainability. They should look for proof and honesty.

What people think is really important for greenwashing to work. If a company tricks people into thinking they’re good for the environment, they can make more money and get people to trust them. But if people find out a company is greenwashing, they can lose trust and hurt the company’s reputation. What people think can also change government rules and what investors decide.

One example that shows how people think is the Volkswagen emissions scandal. In 2015, it came out that Volkswagen cheated on emissions tests and lied about following the rules. This hurt Volkswagen’s reputation and made people look closer at the car industry and emissions. It showed that being honest and accountable when talking about sustainability is really important.

To finish, greenwashing is when companies lie about being sustainable and trick people. Businesses, designers, and organizations should be honest and clear when they talk about sustainability. People should know about greenwashing tricks and think carefully before believing claims about sustainability. What people think can make companies do better and make the world more sustainable.

https://www.edie.net/registration-open-for-edies-free-online-sustainability-reporting-and-communications-sessions/

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