
Learn what greenwashing is and why you should avoid it!
Share
Nowadays, more and more consumers, and consequently, companies, are concerned about environmental issues. However, brands often end up using false ecological advertising, which is known as Greenwashing, in order to not lose access to these customers.
In this sense, the goal of greenwashing is to give an appearance of sustainability that is not true, leading the consumer to make a mistake by believing that by purchasing the good or service they are helping the environment or animals. Therefore, check out this article for more details on what greenwashing is and why you should avoid doing it!
What is Greenwashing?
Greenwashing is an English phrase that translates to "green washing" in Portuguese. This is a term used when companies create sales strategies designed to give the impression of sustainability to customers, without actually putting them into practice.
As such, brands use language in their advertisements, certifications and other documents to lead consumers to believe that purchasing a product is supporting environmental sustainability. However, the reality is quite different.
Instead of creating sustainable standards and processes, these companies do not use them in their strategy, and their particular product does not offer any environmental protection, on the contrary, it has numerous harmful effects on the environment.
What does a company need to do to be considered Greenwashing?
There are some indicators that must be present for a company to be considered as greenwashing. The first point is that it usually uses false information that leads one to believe that sustainable actions are being taken and hides the undesirable characteristics of its products and/or services so that consumers do not discover the truth.
Furthermore, another characteristic is that companies that practice greenwashing usually mention fictitious quantities in references to their products and use imprecise, ambiguous, contradictory data without reference or proof of its veracity.
Finally, another point is that they normally use environmental seals or certifications to reinforce the idea that they are ecological, which is one of the most harmful characteristics for consumers.
How to avoid companies that practice Greenwashing?
When it comes to “green” products, shoppers often make purchases under the influence of packaging, taking note of claims or advertising that lead them to believe that a particular product contributes in some way to the environment or has a lower environmental impact than its competitors.
Tips to avoid consuming products from companies that practice Greenwashing
In this sense, there are some simple attitudes that can help consumers avoid falling for the misleading rhetoric of greenwashing. Check out some tips below.
- Marketing, design or packaging communicates the idea that a product or service is environmentally responsible without describing how the brand achieves this;
- The brand hides several details or hides characteristics of products considered undesirable;
- The brand discloses irrelevant information, such as referring to a dangerous substance that is not present in the product, but whose use is already prohibited by law. A very common case is when the product states “Does not contain CFCs”. However, this substance is prohibited, and therefore, it could not be present in any case.
- The brand uses ambiguous terms in a positive way in its branding, such as "environmentally friendly", but does not clarify what this actually means;
- The brand uses unreliable environmental seals or certifications. Some that are reliable are: FSC (Forest Stewardship Council), IBD (Biodynamic Institute), PROCEL and Ecocert.
If you liked this content and would like to have access to more, just continue browsing our website and stay up to date.