The term Greenwashing is used to describe companies that use false or misleading environmental claims in an attempt to paint themselves a certain shade of green.
Terrachoice, an environmental marketing agency, has compiled the 7 Sins of Greenwashing to assist in bringing awareness to this tactic. Take heed of the sins. An allegation of Greenwashing can result in great harm to your company’s reputation.
The sins are:
Sin of the Hidden Trade-Off
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Suggesting a product is green based on a narrow set of attributes and excluding other important issues
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Sin of No Proof
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Making a claim that cannot be substantiated
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Sin of Vagueness
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A poorly defined or broad claim that doesn’t clearly have real meaning to the consumer
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Sin of Irrelevance
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The claim may be truthful but is unimportant or meaningless (i.e. indicating a product is “CFC Free”, where the use of CFCs are illegal)
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Sin of Lesser of Two Evils
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The claim may be truthful but distracts the consumer from the greater environmental issue within the product category
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Sin of Fibbing
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Making false environmental claims
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Sin of Worshipping False Labels
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Suggesting a third party endorsement where no such endorsement exists
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Source: Terrachoice. 2010. “The Sins of Greenwashing; A Report on Environmental Claims Made in the North American Consumer Market”. Pg.10
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