Greenwashing- what it is, and what you can do about it.

What is Greenwashing, you ask…or maybe you didn’t, but I’m going to tell you anyway. We all know climate change and the environment are hot topics (get the pun), and in order to stay relevant, companies in every arena must evolve to become earth conscious. However, some companies attempt to trick the public into thinking that their organization's products, aims, and policies are environmentally friendly, despite using toxic ingredients and unsustainable practices. Why do they do this, it’s simple-to trick the consumer, and increase their revenues. “Sustainable” products tend to cost more, and many companies use their “green practices” as an opportunity to gain a competitive advantage.

What can we do about this, you must be asking…greenwashing is really bad. It’s unethical; it causes a general mistrust in all brands-even the good ones; it contributes to environmental degradation; and leads to well intentioned people, causing unintended environmental harm. We have to be well educated, conscious consumers. If we cease to support companies with poor environment policies, their revenue will suffer, which in turn will force them to either evolve or go-under.

Here are some tips to recognizing greenwashing:

A great first place to look is the ingredient list. You don’t have to be a scientist to identify the most common major offenders- bottom line, if you can’t pronounce the ingredients they probably aren’t great for you or the planet.

Any company can use green imagery and earth tones to portray an eco-friendly product. Bottom line, always look past the packaging. Its easy to hide unsound environmental practices in the fine print, so when you can, read it.

Check the authenticity of the green certifications. There is little to no regulation in “green language”. Don’t trust vague phrases like “sustainable” or “eco-friendly” these terms sound good, but can’t actually be verified. In that vein- watch out for terms such as “free from” or “dermatologist recommended.” I’m not concerned about what ingredients aren’t there…it’s the ones that are, that might be concerning! And what dermatologist…your Uncle Harry???

What is important is a company's ability to prove their  commitment to sustainability in a credible way. There are plenty of third-party organizations like LEED, B Corp, and Green Business Bureau, that have done the hard work and can verify trustworthy companies.

I also recognize that we often don’t have time to always read the fine print, especially when shopping on the go, or out of impulse. If you stick with the aforementioned brands and products you know you can trust, you won’t go wrong.

When you do have time to delve deeper into greenwashing, you might not like what you find. You might realize that you’re supporting chronic greenwashers (did I just make that word up)…Some recent standout cases involved companies like, Keurig, Windex, H&M, and Mercedes-Benz, and there are soooo many more.

I’ll leave you with this. As Uncle Ben told Peter Parker…”with great power comes great responsibility.” As consumers we truly have the power. We’re the ones running the markets and spending the money, and keeping these companies in business..or not. So spread the word, and let’s stop greenwashing and the companies using it, dead in their tracks…our planet, and our future here, depends on it.