Brands can stop greenwashing by doing the work needed to become more sustainable companies.
What Is Greenwashing?
Greenwashing happens when companies claim to be environmentally conscious for marketing purposes but actually aren’t making any notable sustainability efforts. They may slap a label on a product to claim that they have changed their formula in order to make more sustainable choices when, in reality, the ingredient list is the same. Greenwashing is all about claiming to do something that they are not doing. They want to appear green and sustainable, but they don’t put in the effort needed to be a sustainable company.
Many have heard of whitewashing when someone intentionally hides some kind of wrongdoing or unpleasant situation. It happens when people try to lessen a bad situation or make something appear better than it actually is. Organizations may cover up or gloss over scandalous information by presenting a biased representation of the facts, like a coat of white paint being plastered over a stain to brighten a room. Greenwashing is similar in the sense that companies act under false pretenses to make themselves appear better than they actually are.
The term “greenwashing” was coined in 1986 in an essay by environmentalist Jay Westerveld that spoke about the “save the towel” movement in hotels. Westerveld highlighted that hotels actually had little effect using the practice of forgoing stocking new towels in guests’ rooms beyond saving them money in laundry costs. Greenwashing flourished during this time when most consumers received their news primarily from television, radio, and print media and couldn’t fact-check in the same way we can today.