In the past, whitewash was used on walls to conceal dirt and cracks to make them look better. Since then, the term âwhitewashingâ has come to mean focusing on the good parts of a situation or telling a little white lie (or two) to convince people that things are better than they really are. âGreenwashingâ is essentially the same thing - companies making claims which make their products appear more eco-friendly than they actually are in order to cash in on the growing demand for âgreenâ goods.
Weâre all becoming more concerned about our environment and the impact of the products and services we use so greenwashing is used to convince us that products are healthy and environmentally-friendly. Companies use it to appear environmentally responsible to pander to a culture increasingly pro-environmentalist and ultimately, increase their profits. As consumers, we are willing to spend more money for safe, environmentally friendly products however in reality, these claims are mostly unsubstantiated and brazenly false.
Be greenwash savvy. As weâve seen, greenwashing is market-wide but how do you recognise it? Hereâs a couple of tricks they use:
Beware the word ânaturalâ:
Unfortunately, the word ânaturalâ can be difficult to define. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) states âNatural' means essentially that the product is comprised of natural ingredients, e.g.ingredients produced by nature, not the work of man or interfered with by man. This means that ânaturalâ should only be used to describe food and drinks to which nothing has been added and/or have undergone only the processes necessary to make them fit for human consumption. To get around this, companies often use the phrase âmade from natural ingredientsâ which can mean almost anything - some of the ingredients were at some point derived from a plant or animal!
Self-certification:
Manufacturers can 'buy' certifications without actually meeting standards. Methods such as 'sustainability purchasing' can be as simple as choosing supplies with recognised green certifications which will qualify that company as healthy or environmentally friendly.
Diversion tactics:
Greenwashers focus on the one part of their product which is good in the hope that youâll not notice âundesirableâ bits! For example, you might see soap labelled âSLS freeâ (Sodium Lauryl Sulphate - a widely used, inexpensive chemical) but if you look closely, youâll probably see parabens listed in the ingredients. So the product is still full of chemicals but youâre distracted by the fact that it is free from some ingredient youâve probably never heard of!
But donât let them win! Donât give up on choosing better products. Whatever the claim is make sure you check the packaging for:
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