Greenwashing
March 12, 2008
Fast Company ran an interesting piece on greenwashing in the March 2008 issue (now you see what I did while you were on spring break). David Roberts explains that a study by TerraChoice Environmental Marketing found that of 1,018 green-advertised products, all but ONE committed some form of greenwashing. For example, the product might hype the fact that it uses recycled content, but it might omit environmental drawbacks.
Roberts points out that “The uncomfortable fact for many green marketers — and targets of that marketing — is that genuinely going green would mean giving up most of the products and services that clutter our consumer culture. It would mean simplifying, valuing time and people over stuff.” Truly green marketing might mean a label that reads, “You don’t really need this.”
If we aren’t ready to really go green, he says, greenwashing will be with us.
Entry Filed under: Uncategorized. Tags: ethics, greenwashing.
1.
fourdoorshack | March 14, 2008 at 8:05 am
I first heard a story by NPR on TerraChoice’s report earlier this year. It was very interesting. For example, the label “CFC Free” placed on aerosol products like shaving cream was considered deceptive because CFCs have been banned for all US products since the early 90s.