What is Greenwashing? | Sustainable Explainable

When a company says that their product

is green, eco-friendly or sustainable

that's, good for the environment, right?

Welll, maybe.

is greenwashing. What?

Greenwashing. It's when the company

makes unsupportive claims that mislead

customers into thinking that their

products are sustainable or eco-friendly.

This makes the companies to appeal to

their environmental mind of consumer

without actually having to make

meaningful changes in

their business practices.

And that's not cool for you

or the planete that we live on.
No it's not.

Greenwashing is a big problem

and there's so many moving parts.

So, in fact, why greenwashing happens?

And how you can use your power as a

conscious consumer to help?

Wow. Sustainable explainable.

So, why would businesses actually decide

to greenwash?

According to one survey, 66% of the

respondents said that they takes

sustainability into account whenever

they are shopping.

So it's no surprise that businesses are

trying to attract this growing audience.

As businesses are scrambling to meet the

desires of the market, many of them are

finding that just slapping a green sticker

on something and calling it a day is

way easier and cheaper than making

the fundamental changes that customers

are actually looking for.

And you definitely have seen greenwashing

at the stores.

You know the picture ads

with nature scenes, the strategically

placed leaves an, of course, lots and lots

of green.

And if it's green, it must be good right?

Not always

And this can be so confusing

as a customer because you just want to go

to the store, buy what you need without

destroying the planet making eco-friendly

choices and go home.

But greenwashing floods the market with

so many products that claim to be

environmentally friendly when they're

actually not. And that makes it very

difficult for users
and consumers to make

the best sustainable choice.

And this even with cleaning products

that claim to be non-toxic
when they are actually toxic.

Or a strawless lid that turns out to have

more plastic in it than a lid and a straw.

And furthermore,

if a company sold you

a plastic cup that used to have a

plastic straw and you take off the plastic

straw and no longer have a plastic straw

The plastic cup that they sold you

is still unsustainable. Greenwashing.

Greenwashing can come in

so many different forms.

We are on a look-out for

suggestive imagery, selective disclosure

symbolic actions, hidden trades off
lack of proof, vagueness

and over inflated phrases.

At this point you're probably ready to

tossing the towel of green consumerism,

but don't, hold on to that towel

because there is hope.

Green products, they do exist.

And here's what you can do as consumer to

make sure that your practices

are green win instead of

greenwash

Look for evidence. And if it seems vague

then toss on your detective cap and see

if you can find some confirmation.

Look for
a third party certification.

These third party

certifications help to confirm that a

product is eco-friendly.

Look for stamps of approval like

FSC certified, USDA Organic, Energy Star

and Fair Trade USA.

Be aware of plain language like

one hundred percent Earth friendly, or

completely sustainable. If it sounds too

good to be true, probably is.

Make sure that this clear marketing

when referring to eco claims.

When looking at a product

marketing should tell you
if the packaging

or the product, or both are sustainable.

And lastly, do your best.

In an age of fast paced information

updates and a changing sustainability

landscape, it's truly difficult to know

whether or not you are making a

right decision as a customer

But remember these large companies that

need to change and that the load of the

world is not on your shoulders but

your choices do have an impact.

These companies listen to the market

and they listen to the consumer.

Every day, we have lots and lots of

decisions that we make.

That means we have lots and lots of

opportunities to make sustainable

decisions.

So stick in there. You're not alone

because we are in this together.

Thanks for watching

and if you're a little curious

and you want to know more about

greenwashing, go to the link

in our bio and also go to our website

sustainable-earth.org to be up to date

on all things sustainability.