About Greenwashing

1. What Is Greenwashing?

2. How Do I Spot It?

3. Why Is Greenwashing a Problem?

4. GWI Scoring Criteria

5. Purpose of the GWI

What Is Greenwashing?

It’s Whitewashing, But with a Green Brush.

Everyone’s heard the expression “whitewashing” — it’s defined as “a coordinated attempt to

hide unpleasant facts, especially in a political context.”

“Greenwashing” is the same premise, but in an environmental context.

It’s greenwashing when a company or organization spends more time and money claiming to be

“green” through advertising and marketing than actually implementing business practices that

minimize environmental impact. It’s whitewashing, but with a green brush.

A classic example is an energy company that runs an advertising campaign touting a “green”

technology they’re working on — but that “green” technology represents only a sliver of the

company’s otherwise not-so-green business, or may be marketed on the heels of an oil spill or

plant explosion.

Or a hotel chain that calls itself “green” because it allows guests to choose to sleep on the same

sheets and reuse towels, but actually does very little to save water and energy where it counts —

on its grounds, with its appliances and lighting, in its kitchens, and with its vehicle fleet.

Or a bank that’s suddenly “green” because you can conduct your finances online, or a grocery

store that’s “green” because they’ll take back your plastic grocery bags, or …

You get the picture.

How Do I Spot It?

There are plenty of good companies telling their environmental stories to the world, and even

some who aren’t but should be. Some do it well; others don’t know where to begin. So what is

considered good green marketing?

Here are a few tips on what to look for so you don’t get greenwashed, or if you’re a company, so

you’re not greenwashing yourselves:

1. The Truth: If you see a green ad, take a look at the company as a whole. Can you easily

find more information about their sustainable business practices on their website? Do

they have a comprehensive environmental story? Is there believable information to

substantiate the green claims you saw in the ad? If not, buyer beware.

2. The Whole Truth: Next, try this. Google the company name plus the word

“environment” and see what pops up. This is far from scientific, but if consumers or

environmental advocates have a beef with the company’s track record, something’s

bound to pop up.

3. And Nothing But the Truth: “I know it when I see it.” Those are the words of Supreme

Court Justice Warren Potter in a ruling on hard-core pornography in 1964. As weird as it

may seem, those are words to live by for the consumer and green marketing claims. If

you spot a green ad, how does it strike your gut? Does it ring true and authentic, or is it

obviously hype? Smart shoppers abound globally, and your own scrutiny of green

marketing claims is one more item to throw into your shopping cart.

Why Is Greenwashing a Problem?

Seems like anything and everything has “gone green” these days. Airlines, car companies,

retailers, restaurants — heck, even networks and stadiums. Thankfully, more often than not,

that’s a good thing. It’s only bad if it’s greenwashing — that’s bad for the environment,

consumers, and, ultimately, for the very businesses doing the greenwashing — whether they

mean to or not.

Environment: At its very worst, greenwashing is bad for the environment because it can

encourage consumers en masse to do the opposite of what’s good for the environment. At its

most benign, greenwashing makes claims that are neither good nor bad for the environment —

it’s just making green claims to sell more stuff.

Consumers: We’ve all heard of lemon laws and bait-and-switch. Nobody likes to be taken

advantage of, especially when it comes to money. So, the next time you see an environmental

claim, ask yourself about “The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing But the Truth” before you

buy. The last thing you want to do is spend money on a product or service you believe is doing

right by the environment, but in reality is not — or not as much as the ad might lead you to

believe.

Businesses: Smart businesses are finding out that doing right by the environment actually does

increase profitability in many cases. With so many easy ways for businesses to reduce their

environmental impact or improve their products and processes, it’s just sad when they don’t. It’s

even worse when they don’t make changes and claim to be a green company just to push their

agenda. When properly trained, consumers see right through this “green screen.” Then

greenwashing backfires, hurting the company’s reputation and, ultimately, their sales.

That’s why we’ve put together the Greenwashing Index. The more consumers see through

greenwashing, the more it will fail. And that’s better for the economy and the environment.

Greenwashing Index Scoring Criteria

When you rate an ad with the Greenwashing Index, it will generate a score based on your

response to the following statements. Your score will be included in the ad’s overall score, and

your comments will be added to the tally. Scoring is similar to golf: High scores are undesirable

(for the advertiser).

1. THE AD MISLEADS WITH WORDS. Do you believe the ad misleads the viewer/reader about the company’s/product’s

environmental impact through the things it says? Does it seem the words are trying to

make you believe there is a green practice when there isn’t? Focus on the words only —

what do you think the ad is saying?

2. THE AD MISLEADS WITH VISUALS AND/OR GRAPHICS. Do you think the advertiser has used green or natural images in a way designed to make

you think the product/company is more environmentally friendly than it really is?

3. THE AD MAKES A GREEN CLAIM THAT IS VAGUE OR SEEMINGLY

UNPROVABLE. Does the ad claim environmental benefits without sufficiently identifying for you what

they are? Has the advertiser provided a source for claims or for more information? Are

the claims related to the company/product?

4. THE AD OVERSTATES OR EXAGGERATES HOW GREEN THE

PRODUCT/COMPANY/SERVICE ACTUALLY IS. Do you believe the advertiser is overstating how green the product/company actually is?

Are the green claims made by the ad believable? Do you think it’s possible for the

product/company to do the things depicted/stated?

5. THE AD LEAVES OUT OR MASKS IMPORTANT INFORMATION, MAKING

THE GREEN CLAIM SOUND BETTER THAN IT IS. Do you think the ad exists to divert attention from something else the company does? Do

you believe the relevant collateral consequences of the product/service are considered in

the ad? Does it seem to you something is missing from the ad?

Purpose of the Greenwashing Index

Greenwashing is like whitewashing with a green (environmental) brush: companies and

organizations making themselves and their products sound or look like they’re really helping the

environment. And they lure you in — creating the perception that you can help, too. In some

cases you are helping. In some cases, it’s greenwashing.

And the challenges of climate change are too important for us to be distracted.

This site is here to make sure that doesn’t happen. Our goal is to educate consumers about how

to “read” an ad and encourage them to decide for themselves if what they’re seeing is

greenwashing. Our hope is that with a better-informed public, businesses will start to:

Have a sustainable business before they advertise they’re a sustainable business

Be accountable for the sustainable practices they claim to have

That way we can put an end to the greenwashing and get busy with real environmental change.

The Greenwashing Index is promoted by EnviroMedia Social Marketing with the help of the

University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication. As stated in the Terms of Use,

EnviroMedia employees may not contribute or comment on specific ads.