Gary Martin: Don’t be fooled by corporate greenwashing

As legislation enshrining the Federal Labor Government’s 2030 emissions reduction targets is making its way through Parliament, the green advertising megatrend will explode.

More and more businesses will link their products and services with the environment, argue what they offer promotes a green lifestyle and assert what they do is environmentally responsible.

Some of those claims will pass the “green test” while others will be nothing more than “greenwashing”.

Greenwashing involves the use of unethical marketing tactics to exploit consumers’ growing sensitivity to buying in an environmentally conscious way.

Through false, misleading or vague claims, buyers are tricked into purchasing what they believe are ecologically sound products and services, even though there are no real benefits to the environment.

Brand owners can greenwash their customers through the use of eco-styled imagery etched into marketing materials or packaging.

Pictures of trees or plants, idyllical green landscapes, a baby polar bear or two and the use of green-coloured packaging can all lead the consumer to mistakenly believe a product or service is environmentally friendly.

In the absence of any supporting details, this type of imagery can obscure the negative impact of a product or service on the environment.

Besides, genuine eco-friendly products generally use simpler images and plain packaging.

While many companies turn to eco-labels to lure unsuspecting consumers, some use deceptive labels.

Look out for labels like “100 per cent organic”, “ethically sourced”, “biodegradable”, “not tested on animals”, “made from real ingredients”, “no harmful chemicals” or even “family friendly”.

The truth is often very different, particularly when those labels do not point to specific information.

Other businesses create an image of being environmentally friendly and sustainable but have a non-environmentally friendly or unethical trade-off.

A shampoo manufacturer tells consumers it donates a percentage of profits to support an endangered species. At the same time, it uses an ingredient obtained by destroying the natural habitat of the same animal.

A fast food company advertises it has replaced plastic straws with paper ones to cut consumption of single-use plastics — but the paper replacement straws are not recyclable.

A clothing store markets that its products make use of recycled materials — but hides the fact the garments are produced in an overseas sweatshop.

With more brands jumping on the green bandwagon, greenwashing is becoming harder to spot.

With that in mind, your greenwashing radar should immediately sound the alarm if you encounter advertising, social media promotions or websites that make use of fluffy language (think earth friendly, certified, green), use jargon or information that only a scientist could check or understand or provide no information to support their environmental claims.

We should approach every claim about a product or service with a healthy level of scepticism. And if we suspect a brand is greenwashing us, we should seek an alternative product.

Next time you buy bottled water because the label tells you it comes from a natural spring or it displays pictures of a couple of healthy deer sipping from a spring, consider whether your choice of brand has been influenced by spurious green claims.

No matter what is on display, your greenwashing radar should quickly tell you that bottled water is designed to be single use and contributes massively to the plastic waste crisis around the globe.

Professor Gary Martin is CEO at the Australian Institute of Management WA.