Greenwashing

This blog is filled with posts about climate change and science - from communication to sustainability to inclusivity to straight up explanations of natural phenomena. However, in the world we live in today, it can often be challenging to determine when people are being honest with you in what they are sharing. This brings us to greenwashing - i.e. marketing or branding something as eco-friendly when really, it’s not. I am certainly not a fan of this, and my blog will never promote greenwashing. Here, we care about real science and real solutions. However, it can sometimes be challenging to figure out when something is or isn’t greenwashing, and that’s what we’re going to dive into today.

The history of greenwashing begins in the 80s, with an essay by environmentalist Jay Westerveld identifying and denouncing the practice (learn more here, here, and here). The term has evolved to be much broader and comprehensive since Westerveld’s initial use, and now penetrates almost every industry on Earth.

With greenwashing being so widespread, you might be wondering how to spot it. Below are a few common things to look for in products/companies if you are trying to identify and avoid greenwashing:

1. Look for third-party verifications of the sustainability of a product - can the claims they are making be verified by anyone but them (learn more here, here and here)? The FTC, EnergyStar, and LEED are examples of third-party verifications.

2. Take time to think about the realisticness of what a company is saying. For example, is the pack of plastic water bottles that says it uses x% less plastic really doing all that much good for the environment if they’re still selling single use plastic bottles of water?

3. Be aware of buzzwords and “green” imaging - a product saying it’s “eco friendly” or changing the packaging to be green for Earth day often means next to nothing (learn more here, here and here).

4. Do your research. Especially if you’re shopping online and aren’t in a time crunch, spend a few minutes to look up the companies you’re buying from and see what they’re really about.

Ultimately, greenwashing is a challenging issue, but the more people that are aware of it, the more we can do to get rid of it.