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It’s Not Easy Being Green - 10
December 17, 2007

While writing this Green Blog I was sent a document called the “Six Sins of Greenwashing”, written by Terrachoice marketing. This article introduces the term "Greenwashing" which is defined as the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service. The concept of Greenwashing came from surveys in which they discovered that “of the 1,018 products reviewed, all but one committed at least one of the Six Sins of Greenwashing”.

The Six Sins

1. With a whopping 57% on the sinometer, the Sin of the Hidden Trade-Off was the largest sin discovered. It is committed by suggesting a product is “green” based on a single environmental attribute (recycled content of paper) or an unreasonably narrow set of attributes (recycled content) without attention to other important, or perhaps more important, environmental issues (energy, global warming, water, and forestry impacts of paper)

2. With 26% the Sin of No Proof was the second biggest sin. Any environmental claim that cannot be substantiated by easily accessible supporting information, or by a reliable third-party certification (household lamps, champoos, tissues).

3. At 11% the Sin of Vagueness is the third largest sin. It is committed by every claim that is poorly defined or broad that its real meaning is likely to be misunderstood by the intended consumer. For example the recycling “mobius logo” does not specify if the entire product is recyeled or simply the package.

4. The Sin of Irrelevance is committed by making an environmental claim that may be truthful but is unimportant and unhelpful for consumers seeking environmentally preferable products.  It is irrelevant and therefore distracts the consumer from finding a truly greener option. (chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs are a contributor to ozone depletion has been legally banned for 30 years, but many individual products presented CFC-free claims)

5. The Sin of Fibbing is committed by making environmental claims that are simply false.

6. The Sin of Lesser of Two Evils occurs when “green” claims are true within the product category, but that risk distracting the consumer from the greater environmental impacts of the category as a whole (light cigarettes).

Without sounding too bibical - the message is this "Sinner Repent".

Posted by Howie Fenton on December 17, 2007 | Comments (0)