Greenwashing again?
Posted : May 14, 2010 by Edwina, Category: Sustainability
After Greenbuild last year, it seemed like greenwashing was a thing of the past. As we saw in November, the theme of the show was a lack of greenwashing. Not to say a lack of hype, but it seemed the industry was moving in the right direction.
But then today we read this. And this, which left us with this closing thought:
“Going green, being sustainable, being a good corporate citizen. Today, too many corporations attempt to present themselves as all these. In truth, it seems it is often business as usual for many large organisations.
How long clever marketing campaigns will allow companies to go on pretending is an open question. The Internet and social media mean closer examination of these messages by consumers. If you get caught, good luck to you in rebuilding your ‘green’ reputation.”
So where does that leave us? How can we as consumers get through all the fluff and determine what companies are truly sustainable, and which ones are trying to pull the wool over our eyes? For starters, here are some guidelines, courtesy of Marc Gunther:
“We should absolutely not support green products from companies that use them to distract us from their larger negative environmental and social impacts. We need systemically green companies to address the challenges we face, not business-as-usual companies that hold up one green hand while hiding another toxic, CO2-emitting, waste-producing one behind their backs.”
And as we know, the power of the Internet, most notably Facebook and Twitter, will call out those companies that aren’t doing their part. We just hope it’s sooner rather than later…the industry seemed to have come so far, and this could be a big step backwards for the industry.
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