Greenwashing
By Catherine Nguyen 11/6/2024
Rows of green stickers line the products on the shelves, depicting everything from scenery to slogans to advertise their eco-friendly methods. However, peeling back the facade reveals something more manipulative behind these supposed good intentions: false advertising and undisclosed, environmentally damaging business practices.
This phenomenon is known as greenwashing, misleading or false statements about a practice or product, promoting false solutions to the ongoing climate crisis. Greenwashing does more harm than good for the environment and private companies by sewing distrust among consumers and taking away from companies who are genuinely environmentally-conscious. The term “greenwashing” was originally coined by environmentalist Jay Westerveld in 1986 when the hotel he was staying at asked to reuse the towels for the planet’s sake. Ironically, the same hotel was expanding onto the sensitive island ecosystems nearby. Greenwashing can be as blatant as lying about carbon emissions, to more subtle strategies such as adding environmental buzzwords without legal weight.
“I have seen environmental marketing such as ‘99% recycled paper’ or ‘50% of our profits go back to the environment!’ I am aware they are usually just jargon, but I generally prefer to take the chance that they are not and buy those products—unless they are expensive. I usually do not research if companies I buy from are eco-friendly or not, but I plan on doing so more in the future,” said Sophomore Anjika Bansal.
For instance, in 2009, Volkswagen’s Dieselgate scandal saw them promote “clean diesel cars” by installing a device that would sense if it is undergoing an emissions test. This way, they were able to cheat out of sharing the car’s real emissions, which in reality, was producing 40 times the legal nitrogen oxide emissions.
Less obvious examples of greenwashing include phrases such as “natural,” “eco friendly” and “chemical recycling,” the latter of which actually means that the plastic for the product is burned to make fuel, which can emit more greenhouse gasses than traditional fossil-fuels. Legally gray buzzwords that have no set definitions or legal backings for these buzzwords.
For instance, in 2019, H&M launched the “conscious” clothing line that was said to use “organic” cotton and recycled polyester. Nevertheless, the term “organic” or “sustainable,” like they used in their advertising, do not hold legal definitions to hold these companies accountable. Coca-Cola has also been adamant about its progress in tackling packaging waste to the public—without any legal binding to actually do so—claiming to recycle the plastic from their bottles to stop them from polluting the ocean. Ironically, in 2020, they were ranked as the world’s number 1 consumer brand plastic polluter, as per the Break Free From Plastic annual report.
“I usually do not go out of my way to purchase ‘green’ products. I mostly care about the price or the brand name. When I do purchase an environmentally-friendly product, I merely see it as a bonus that I’m doing something good for the environment and myself,” said Junior Alex Kim.
Greenwashing undermines the real efforts to address climate change—to keep global warming under 1.5 degrees Celsius, emissions need to be reduced by 43% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050, as per the UN. Furthermore, it makes consumers more likely to dismiss claims of being environmentally friendly from other competitors, regardless if they are true, making it difficult for alternative brands to stand out on the shelf.
Consumers can tackle green washing by looking out for the signs: the vague wordings, unsupported statements and doing research into companies before purchase. As a response to greenwashing, António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the UN, has created the High Level Expert Group to create clearer standards for net zero emission pledges by regions, financial institutions and companies and help speed up their implementation. Their report includes 10 recommendations to reach this standard, including creating transition plans and increasing transparency and accountability. However, without any legal repercussions or restrictions on companies that greenwash, this may not be enough to stop the problem.
Companies using greenwashing tactics that display false or misleading information, ignore their other environmentally damaging actions, and take advantage of consumer’s concern for the environment lead to distrust from the consumer. This may make them see other competing companies and their environmentally conscious actions as untrue or misleading as well, halting the efforts for the urgent climate crisis. It is important to do research on a company’s impact on the environment, and to be mindful of the greenwashing tactics used.
About the Contributors
Catherine Nguyen
Writer
Catherine Nguyen is a staff writer and artist for the Charger account. This is her second year in journalism. She loves drawing and listening to music.
Jane Hong
Artist
Jane Hong is a artist and a page editor. She enjoys trying out new art styles and this is her third year in journalism. Some of her hobbies include watching kdrama with her family, dancing, and painting. She also likes eating good food.
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