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GLOBAL RENEWABLES ONLINE - JANUARY 2012
III.
SIN OF VAGUENESS:
A claim that is so poorly de-
fined or broad that its real mean-
ing is likely to be misunderstood
by the consumer. ‘All-natural’ is
an example. Arsenic, uranium,
mercury, and formaldehyde are
all naturally occurring, and poi-
sonous. ‘All natural’ isn’t neces-
sarily ‘green’.
IV. SIN OF WORSHIPING FALSE
LABELS:
A product that, through either
words or images, gives the im-
pression of third-party endorse-
ment where no such endorsement
exists; fake labels, in other
words. Manufacturers who add
their own label to a product with
images and statements such as,
‘this product fights global warm-
ing’ is an example.
V. SIN OF IRRELEVANCE:
An environmental claim that
may be truthful but is unimport-
ant or unhelpful for consumers
seeking environmentally prefer-
able products. ‘CFC-free’ is a
common example, since it is a
frequent claim despite the fact
that CFCs are banned by law.
VI. SIN OF LESSER OF TWO EVILS:
A claim that may be true
within the product category, but
that risks distracting the con-
sumer from the greater environ-
mental impacts of the category
as a whole. Organic cigarettes
could be an example of this Sin,
as might the fuel-efficient sport-
utility vehicle.
VII. SIN OF FIBBING:
Environmental claims that are
simply false. The most common
examples were products falsely
claiming to be Energy Star
certified or registered.
Care of: TerraChoice Group Inc
THE SEVEN SINS
OF GREENWASHING
– WHAT YOU
SHOULD KNOW
O
VER THE COURSE
of the next few months,
Industry Media will be covering issues related
to greenwashing, and will be working with in-
dustry partners to shed light on the topic.
I. SIN OF THE HIDDEN TRADE-OFF:
A claim suggesting that a
product is ‘green’ based on a
narrow set of attributes without
attention to other important
environmental issues. Paper, for
example, is not necessarily envi-
ronmentally-preferable just be-
cause it comes froma sustainably-
harvested forest. Other important
environmental issues in the
paper-making process, such as
greenhouse gas emissions, or
chlorine use in bleaching may be
equally important.
II. SIN OF NO PROOF:
An environmental claim that
cannot be substantiated by easily
accessible supporting informa-
tion or by a reliable third-party
certification. Common examples
are facial tissues or toilet tissue
products that claim various
percentages of post-consumer
recycled content without provid-
ing evidence.
SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT - 7 SINS