When a company says that their product
is green, eco-friendly or sustainable
that's, good for the environment, right?
Welll, maybe.
is greenwashing. What?
Greenwashing. It's when the company
makes unsupportive claims that mislead
customers into thinking that their
products are sustainable or eco-friendly.
This makes the companies to appeal to
their environmental mind of consumer
without actually having to make
meaningful changes in
their business practices.
And that's not cool for you
or the planete that we live on. No it's not.
Greenwashing is a big problem
and there's so many moving parts.
So, in fact, why greenwashing happens?
And how you can use your power as a
conscious consumer to help?
Wow. Sustainable explainable.
So, why would businesses actually decide
to greenwash?
According to one survey, 66% of the
respondents said that they takes
sustainability into account whenever
they are shopping.
So it's no surprise that businesses are
trying to attract this growing audience.
As businesses are scrambling to meet the
desires of the market, many of them are
finding that just slapping a green sticker
on something and calling it a day is
way easier and cheaper than making
the fundamental changes that customers
are actually looking for.
And you definitely have seen greenwashing
at the stores.
You know the picture ads
with nature scenes, the strategically
placed leaves an, of course, lots and lots
of green.
And if it's green, it must be good right?
Not always
And this can be so confusing
as a customer because you just want to go
to the store, buy what you need without
destroying the planet making eco-friendly
choices and go home.
But greenwashing floods the market with
so many products that claim to be
environmentally friendly when they're
actually not. And that makes it very
difficult for users and consumers to make
the best sustainable choice.
And this even with cleaning products
that claim to be non-toxic when they are actually toxic.
Or a strawless lid that turns out to have
more plastic in it than a lid and a straw.
And furthermore,
if a company sold you
a plastic cup that used to have a
plastic straw and you take off the plastic
straw and no longer have a plastic straw
The plastic cup that they sold you
is still unsustainable. Greenwashing.
Greenwashing can come in
so many different forms.
We are on a look-out for
suggestive imagery, selective disclosure
symbolic actions, hidden trades off lack of proof, vagueness
and over inflated phrases.
At this point you're probably ready to
tossing the towel of green consumerism,
but don't, hold on to that towel
because there is hope.
Green products, they do exist.
And here's what you can do as consumer to
make sure that your practices
are green win instead of
greenwash
Look for evidence. And if it seems vague
then toss on your detective cap and see
if you can find some confirmation.
Look for a third party certification.
These third party
certifications help to confirm that a
product is eco-friendly.
Look for stamps of approval like
FSC certified, USDA Organic, Energy Star
and Fair Trade USA.
Be aware of plain language like
one hundred percent Earth friendly, or
completely sustainable. If it sounds too
good to be true, probably is.
Make sure that this clear marketing
when referring to eco claims.
When looking at a product
marketing should tell you if the packaging
or the product, or both are sustainable.
And lastly, do your best.
In an age of fast paced information
updates and a changing sustainability
landscape, it's truly difficult to know
whether or not you are making a
right decision as a customer
But remember these large companies that
need to change and that the load of the
world is not on your shoulders but
your choices do have an impact.
These companies listen to the market
and they listen to the consumer.
Every day, we have lots and lots of
decisions that we make.
That means we have lots and lots of
opportunities to make sustainable
decisions.
So stick in there. You're not alone
because we are in this together.
Thanks for watching
and if you're a little curious
and you want to know more about
greenwashing, go to the link
in our bio and also go to our website
sustainable-earth.org to be up to date
on all things sustainability.