Has the fear of greenwashing gone too far?
June 10th, 2010 | Posted by Pamela FiehnI had the pleasure of sitting next to Scot Case from TerraChoice at dinner a few nights ago. Scot is one of the authors of “The Six Sins of Greenwashing” (now seven). He told the story of the happy accident that led to the report. Apparently, TerraChoice had a few summer interns collect all the “green” products they could find at the local grocery store, and then they analyzed the facts behind the claims and published their results. TerraChoice had no idea it was releasing something that would become THE guide for all marketing and communications folks working in the green space.
It’s been three years since the study came out, and it has made an impact in two totally opposite ways. In many cases, the report has kept companies honest. It has raised awareness of the issue and given marketers a standard set of rules to follow. But it has also kept some companies from saying anything at all—even if their product or service has a credible green story—because they are fearful of being labeled a greenwasher. Even Scot admitted that the “Sins of Greenwashing” report may have gone too far, paralyzing companies and keeping consumers from learning about really good products.
What do you think? Has the fear of greenwashing gone too far? Has it kept your company from talking to your customers about your green product?
June 12th, 2010 at 8:37 am
If Greed is Good for Wall Street, Fear is Fine for Sustainability. Fear motivates companies to move faster than “doing the right thing.” If fear of being labeled a greenwasher and also fined for mis-made claims motivates marketers to double check their messaging, then we’ve made a big step forward in the art of putting trust back into our advertising.
June 17th, 2010 at 3:34 pm
I’d have to agree with the previous poster. If fear makes companies think twice about meddling in greenwashing, that’s a move in the right direction. Fear frequently enables success, whether it be in writing, athletics, academics–even business. Not a fan of fear, but am a fan of the way it’s keeping-in-check most out-of-check companies.
June 18th, 2010 at 7:08 am
Pamela, You, Scot and I all heard a powerful message last week at the Sustainable Brands conference: the theme was “the power of &.” Your point here is not “greenwashing: yes or no,” but “greenwashing, and…” And what? We need a powerful word to be its counterpart: “greensharing” comes to mind. Fear of greenwashing charges does its part to encourage companies to refrain from false green claims. Great. But truth be told, many companies are hiding a light under a bushel when they fail to communicate the progress they are making and the innovations they are creating. We find consistently in the Green Confidence Index we track monthly that consumers have serious doubts that companies are doing enough to be environmentally responsible — yet some are doing far more than is recognized. The greensharing opportunity here is not simply one to benefit their bottom line — innovations and successes are likely to expedite adoption elsewhere if they are known, for example. And, boy, do we need some positive news now! The challenge — and your company is a great example of one that’s trying — is that we need better, more powerful ways to communicate (with authenticity!) the positive progress that is being made, when it’s genuine. It’s easy to vilify a villain, tougher to applaud progress in back office operations. So, I say: greenwash AND greensharing. We need both, and they’re not in balance.