what is greenwashing?

Greenwashing is the practice of making a misleading or unsubstantiated claim about the environmental benefits of a product, service, technology or company practice. It is a deceitful way of advertising that makes it seem like a company is more sustainable than it is. There are a few different types of greenwashing that you should look out for; see them below.

1. Environmental Images - The first type of greenwashing involves using images like leaves, animals and the colour green on a product's packaging. It misleads customers into thinking the product or service is environmentally friendly when it is not.
2. Misleading Labels - When products are labeled "Certified", "100% Organic", "Green", etc. without any supportive information to back up their claims. These labels can be self-created and self-declared. 
3. Hidden-trade offs - This happens when an organization suggests a product is "green" based on a single environmental attribute while disregarding other critical environmental issues. An example involves paper and lumber products that promote their recycled content without paying attention to their manufacturing impacts like air emissions and global warming.
4. Irrelevant claims - You may come across labels stating a product is free of a particular chemical, but the chemical may already be banned. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are an example of this.

Understanding how to spot greenwashing is crucial, and educating yourself on organizations that genuinely care for the environment and sustainability is vital. Greenwashing exploits genuine concerns that consumers have when it comes to a product's eco-friendliness. It limits the consumer's ability to make eco-friendly purchasing decisions due to their confusion or skepticism towards all products promoting green credentials. When researching an organization, look for which ones are transparent and honest, even if they are not perfect! 

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