TerraChoice’s six sins of greenwashing classify the major ways companies mislead “consumers regarding [their] environmental practices (…) or the environmental benefits of a product or service.” The six sins are:
- Hidden trade-off
- No proof
- Vagueness
- Irrelevance
- Fibbing
- Lesser of two evils
After pondering these the other day, I’ve added a 7th sin to the list: the sin of condescension. The sin of condescension underlies the other six sins in that when companies greenwash, they assume they aren’t going to get caught, either because customers don’t care or because customers don’t understand the claims. Either way, greenwashers lack respect for their customers.
Do customers not care about greenwashing? Exhibit 1: Clorox has been making a killing on its Green Works line of “natural cleaners”, which comprise “at least 99% natural content”. The greenwashing charge is that “natural” doesn’t equal “non-toxic”. Interestingly, the louder complaint (from a competitor nonetheless) has been against the claim that the Green Works line works just as well as traditional cleaners.
Exhibit 2: University of Oregon’s and EnviroMedia’s Greenwashing Index is a website functioning as an “interactive forum that allows consumers to evaluate real advertisements making environmental claims.” I hear the site is not getting as much use as its creators had hoped. It’s not for the lack of publicity: quite a few articles and blog posts have featured the Index.
Conclusion: The majority of customers don’t care about greenwashing, at least not yet and at least not enough to get vocal. Greenwashers bank on this and commit the 7th sin of greenwashing. (I’m assuming most greenwashers hedge against legal action by consulting their legal counsel).
Do customers not understand green claims? “Green” is so ubiquitous and ultimately complex a term that the majority of customers prefer to use the shortcuts of marketing messages to evaluate green claims. Lack of standards and definitions means “green” is an empty concept vessel any company can fill with any meaning they choose. No frame of reference, no yardsticks, no benchmarks make evaluating green claims a tricky catch-me-if-you-can game.
Conclusion: The majority of customers don’t understand green claims, or at least not yet. Greenwashers bank on this and commit the 7th sin of greenwashing.
In his article, “Why do companies greenwash?”, Paul Thomas outlines several reasons for the practice: corporate culture, ignorance/lack of understanding, excessive enthusiasm, or ambiguity of language. He then offers companies ten sensible tips on how to avoid greenwashing. None of the tips mention the customer.
