Is your favourite ‘green' product as eco-friendly as it claims to be?

It seems like every day that big brands are called out for some kind of “greenwashing” in their adverts and marketing, prompting us to buy into things that we think are sustainable, but turn out not to be as good as they seem.

From making wild (yet vague) claims of eco-credentials, to rebranding in “natural” colours to give the illusion of a more natural product, how can we tell the difference between greenwashing, and actually eco-friendly and green products and incentives? 

Today, the allure of a “green’ product is as enticing as ever. We can see firsthand the effects we’re having on the environment, and most of us want to do something - anything - to help. 

So when our favourite brand releases their new “eco” product line, it can feel like an irresistibly easy way to make that positive impact while still enjoying our favourite things. Surely it’s a win-win solution?

Before you give yourself that pat on the back, it’s crucial to ask, are these seemingly eco-friendly choices truly as green as they’re claiming to be? Or am I falling into the greenwashing trap?

What is Greenwashing and How to Spot It

The term “greenwashing” first came about in the 1980’s, and gained widespread recognition. It refers to any time a company exaggerates or makes misleading claims about their sustainability efforts in an attempt to sell more, or look better in the eyes of customers (Dahl, 2010). The term was coined due to growing concerns about the ways some brands and companies started manipulating their public image, concealing their environmental shortcomings and less than ethical practices (Laufer, 2003).

With growing pressure on making ethical and environmental choices, brands want to look like they’re doing something, and unfortunately greenwashing can be an easy way out. In essence, it’s a lot easier for brands to greenwash than to actually make meaningful change.

So What’s Being Done about Greenwashing?

Greenwashing is a big problem, and one that needs to be tackled. The European Commision and National Consumer Authorities are taking steps to address the greenwashing issue, but as you can imagine, these kinds of things are ever evolving and take a lot of time. 

Recently, Harvard Business investigated online markets, and found that 42% of all environmental efforts were either false, deceptive, or exaggerated. Crazy! This finding could potentially mean a lot of businesses fall under Unfair Commercial Practices according to EU regulations, and could be liable for lawsuits.

For us to navigate greenwashing effectively, we need to educate ourselves on sustainability and what it means, so we can know the difference between authentic sustainability efforts and those pesky marketing ploys.

The good news is, we’re not falling for it in the same way that we used to. With the internet and a huge amount of brilliant people and publications at the ready to call out any false claims, we can easily check if something is legitimately environmentally friendly, or if there is greenwashing at play.

How Does Greenwashing Impact Us?

Greenwashing is not just another clever marketing trick, it actually has profound repercussions for us as consumers, and the environment. When we unwittingly opt for brands or products that make deceptive sustainability claims, we unintentionally support harmful practices.

On top of that, you might even find yourself paying extra for products that seem like they’re sustainable, but end up not living up to their promises. An unhappy planet, and an unhappy bank account - we don’t like the sound of that.

One of the biggest problems we face with greenwashing is losing trust in brands and businesses.

How are we meant to know who we can rely on when marketing and product labels can both be misleading?

Greenwashing can leave us feeling under-confident and sceptical when it comes to making decisions. We end up losing faith in environmental claims across the board - even the genuinely sustainable ones.

Some people even get to the point where they avoid anything eco-friendly at all, because they don’t feel like they can trust the brand to be fully honest, which is not what we want when it comes to fighting climate change.

Not only this, but greenwashing can also lead us to buying products that we think are all natural, but in fact contain harmful chemicals, or are made unsustainably. This happens often with cleaning products that position themselves as natural, but in fact don’t clearly mention the chemicals that could be dangerous to our health.

This kind of greenwashing can be shocking, and even make us ill. And it’s all because of misleading marketing. 

Greenwashing and Companies

So let’s get one thing straight - genuinely sustainable companies striving to make a positive environmental impact exist! And they do brilliant work.

That’s why it’s so important for greenwashing to be squashed wherever possible, because it’s stopping us from being able to decipher where brands are doing real good work, and where brands are just pretending in order to make us shop, shop, shop.

How to Avoid Greenwashing

Even for us, sometimes it can be very hard to know the difference, which can wind up causing a lot of confusion. 

Needless to say, we should be trying to avoid greenwashing at all costs. In an ideal world, we’d have special greenwashing detectors that call out when a company is being fake, but unfortunately technology isn’t quite there yet, so we need to settle for a discerning eye and a critical mindset.

We suggest…

Tips to Spot Greenwashing

Scrutinise! Look for the specifics when you see a brand’s green credentials. You can bet that the more eco-friendly things a brand is doing, the more they’re going to want to talk about it. It’s hard work being green in a world that isn’t built for it!

Seek vague terms like “eco-friendly” and “natural” and read the small print. If there isn’t any, you could be witnessing greenwashing.

Check the Certifications. Trustworthy brands will generally have certifications from  reputable organisations to attest to their credentials and authenticity. It’s a good sign if something is Fair Trade, or has an eco-certification on the label.

Do your Research. With Google on our phones it’s never been so easy. Before you buy, go online and search for a brand name and “greenwashing.” You can bet if they’re doing anything wrong, it’ll most likely be covered on a news platform. On a brand’s website you can also see their sustainability page for their efforts. If it’s a few vague paragraphs, then it might be greenwashing.

What Are Some Examples of Greenwashing?

A lot of the time, greenwashing relies on vague claims and wording. Words like “natural” or a focus on a single eco-friendly aspect while neglecting other harmful practices.

They might highlight a minor sustainable feature - like switching to recycled packaging, while ignoring the more substantial concerns (i.e. unethical labour practices, excessive resource consumption etc. etc).

A very literal form of greenwashing is when companies and brands use green coloured packaging to evoke feelings of environmental consciousness.

In essence, our advice is to keep digging that little bit deeper when it comes to green marketing, and try to figure out what’s really going on beneath the surface. Check the ingredients and fabric composition, and treat Google as your best friend if you have any doubts.

We hold the power to drive positive change with our shopping choices. By arming ourselves with the knowledge to suss out greenwashing and avoid it at all costs, we can do our bit to make sure the planet isn’t being exploited.

Let’s demand transparency, reward the brands who are really trying, and push towards a future where “green” counts for more than just a marketing term.

What do you say?