Envirowise warns against "greenwash"
December 15, 2008
Sustainable business expert, Envirowise, has warned companies not to get carried away by "greenwash", ie building a pro-environment image and "talking up" the environmental credentials of a product, service or process without providing appropriate evidence.
Envirowise Marketing Director, Mary Leonard, said, "While making green statements is commendable, too many companies are ignoring the basics and forming their environmental policies on ‘greenspin' - initiatives that will make them look good publicly but, in isolation, won't help the company achieve the greatest possible impact on their day-to-day green performance."
Envirowise said that many companies focus on the more obvious green solutions, eg switching car fleets to hybrid or low-carbon vehicles or offsetting carbon emissions. Envirowise pointed out, however, that these companies may be ignoring other simple low cost or even no-cost measures that could have a similarly effective impact on both environmental performance and company profitability. These include such measures as looking at the costs of utilities and materials, reviewing how the use of resources can be reduced, and exploring where waste can be reused and recycled.
In some countries, legislative measures are being introduced to combat greenwashing. For example, in Norway, manufacturers are no longer permitted to use such terms as "environmentally friendly", "natural" and "green" without clarification and greater detail. Now the UK Government is starting to put pressure on larger industries through the use of fines and the threat of public shaming.
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