Hey, Green Junkie!
Have you ever heard of the word greenwashing?
Greenwashing is the process of conveying a false impression or providing misleading information about how a company's products are more environmentally sound and this is unfortunately happening everywhere.
We all know how much power we have as a consumer and it can be disheartening to realize that we are often falling for tricks and tactics that are meant to deceive us.
So in today’s episode I wanted to help you become a smarter consumer and help you understand how to spot greenwashing and learn more about how companies are using these tactics to deceive you.
Here’s what to expect:
- How you see greenwashing play out in everyday life
- Things to look out for when it comes to greenwashing
- Don’t fall for these greenwashing tactics
- How to avoid misleading labels
- Beware of green marketing tricks
You’ll discover that and so much more in this episode.
By the end of this episode, Green Junkie, you’ll be more aware of the impact of greenwashing and how to avoid it as much as possible.
If you love this podcast be sure to leave a review and share a screenshot of this episode to your IG stories. Tag @greenjunkiepodcast so I can shout you out and publicly say thanks.
Thanks for listening and being here.
Your green bestie,
Xoxo Stephanie
Previous Episodes Mentioned:
Episode #21: 8 Ways to Create a Low Waste Lunch
Episode #22: The Eco-Impact of Fast Fashion
Sources
https://cresmer.so/what-is-greenwashing/
https://www.feedough.com/what-is-greenwashing-types-examples/
https://www.buildinggreen.com/news-article/nine-types-greenwashing
https://culinarylore.com/food-culture:7-vague-statements-companies-use-to-greenwash/
https://medium.com/disruptive-design/what-is-greenwashing-how-to-spot-it-and-stop-it-c44f3d130d5
https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/knowledge/other/greenwashing/
https://brightly.eco/ethical-labels-to-look-for/
Resources
https://www.fairtradecertified.org/
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Produced by: Alecia Harris
Music By: Liz Fohle
Listen Below:
Transcript Below for Episode 24:
0:08
Hi, Green Junkie. I'm your host Stephanie Moram, and today we're talking about greenwashing. And no, it's not a new hip method you can use to wash your clothes or your dishes.
0:21
Greenwashing is when brands such as H&M spend a crap ton of money, advertising their product as environmentally friendly, when in fact, nothing about it is considered green. Simply put, greenwashing is when brands trick consumers into thinking they're environmentally friendly, instead of actually using time and money to implement environmentally friendly practices. It's very deceptive and misleading when you see a green label on a food product claiming it's 100% organic, or fast fashion lines named the conscious collection when that is entirely untrue. And I'm looking at you H&M. Some companies go as far as declaring their own certifications to make them sound even better. And there are many more deceptive tactics that you'll be surprised to hear.
1:17
In this episode Green Junkie, I will teach you about the types of greenwashing and how to potentially avoid it. Please subscribe to the Green Junkie podcast on whatever platform you use. Now let's dive into the different types of greenwashing.
1:34
Number one, images. When companies use nature, trees, fields of flowers, leaves, animals and the color green for their products or the packaging – this is misleading. Because most of the time there's nothing green or sustainable about the actual product or company. They're slathering the color green everywhere to associate themselves with positive environmental attributes. So a lot of people when they see the color green, they're like, oh, wow, that must be a green company. I have fallen for this. And sometimes when I see a product, I'm like, “Oh, they must be like super into the environment,” and I pick it up and I'm like, they almost got me. Consumers believe because these images are being used, they're purchasing a better product. So here's an example, when a laundry detergent company uses green fields and flowers to lure their consumers in, when in fact the laundry detergent is full of harmful toxins to not only the people but the planet. Be aware that genuinely eco friendly products use simpler images and plain packaging. Not always but most of the time, because they want to reduce their environmental impact. And they don't need to use these tactics to get exposure and to get people to buy their products.
2:53
Number two – misleading and vague labels when companies and advertisers use words like non toxic, certified 100%, recyclable, biodegradable, organic, these are all buzzwords. So there's a good chance that these labels are self created and self declared without any supportive information. To prove the same, the company is only using words that sound good to the consumer. But in reality, they're way too vague, general or can be an outright lie. First, know what you're looking at. Real labels to look out for are the USDA organic. And just a side note, many countries have their own organic standards when it comes to their labeling. So just so you know in Canada, we have a completely different label as well. So just a total side note.
3:46
So the USDA Organic is a half white half green circle. And true organic produce must be grown on soil that has no prohibited substances. And again, I've mentioned this a bunch of times just because something's organic and certified organic does not mean that they don't use pesticides, they're using better pesticides.
4:05
We also have the Fair Trade label. This is a label that you find on tea, coffee, chocolate, fruit, flowers, clothing, or potentially different health care, it's black and green with a picture of a person holding a bowl. And if we look at the definition of what the fairtrade certification means (I found it on Fairtrade certified.org) you can go check it out and read all about fair trade. It says when you see a product with a fair trade certified seal, you can be sure it meets rigorous social, environmental and economic standards. That means safe working conditions, environmental protection, sustainable livelihoods and community development. Like I said, you can go read more about it but that is a label to look for on your products.
4:54
Another label that's super misleading that I wanted to add is 100% recyclable. So I'm going to give you an example. Somebody bought, I don't know what exactly they bought, and it came in a bag like a plastic bag, and it said 100% recyclable on it. It probably is 100% recyclable. But that type of plastic bag is like, rarely taken on curbside recycling. So when in fact, the plastic is probably recyclable. It's super misleading. And it's super vague because if we were to actually put that plastic in the recycling, if I put it in my recycling, it would jam the machines, it would take more time to take it out of the recycling as they're separating everything. So I guess I just want to say that companies need to take more responsibility for their labeling.
5:41
Another one is biodegradable, very different from compostable. That is a whole other episode. But what really gets me down on the biodegradable thing is that everything is actually biodegradable to some point, plastic will biodegrade. So just because the label says it's biodegradable, I'm totally using that in quotation doesn't mean it's better for the environment at all. You want to look for compostable because that means it actually will compost. So like I said, plastic, technically biodegradable. So just look for those buzz buzz words.
6:14
A couple of other labels that are good labels to look for are cruelty free, certified vegan and certified B Corp. Certified B Corp, this is a black label, and in order to qualify for it, corporations must meet the minimum requirements of ethical impact on workers, customers, community and the environment. With all this said when it comes to misleading and vague labels is to do your homework. Just because it says 100% recyclable just because it says it's biodegradable, and non toxic, doesn't mean it actually is.
6:49
Number three, the ploy. Many companies make part of their product green to make you believe that the actual product is sustainable. This could be when a company creates packaging that looks eco friendly, because the outside is made of paper. But the inside of the packaging is still plastic. The company's boosting the fact that they're using paper when in reality, the packaging is still made of plastic, and is indeed still hurting the environment and the company's reputation. So an example was there was a cleaner, I don't know if it's still out there. But there was a laundry detergent company that was boosting the fact that like, “hey, we're using paper in our packaging.” But all they did was take a plastic bottle and wrap it in paper. So in actuality, they were creating more waste because they were adding paper to their packaging. So people saw this packaging, they're like, “Wow, they're using paper.” But then when you opened it up, it was just plastic inside. It's so deceiving, and the average person and the average consumer isn't taking the time to check this out. So this is one way that companies are really trying to trick their consumers.
8:00
It's very rare for large companies to stay true to their promises when it comes to green products. A few commonly known examples where company used green marketing, only to increase their sales, but weren't actually being environmentally friendly. I don't know if you remember when Volkswagen came up with their clean diesel. Volkswagen released an ad campaign to debunk the fact that diesel was bad. And it actually emitted fewer pollutants than regular gas. The truth revealed that Volkswagen rigged over 11 million of its diesel cars with forged or cheap emission tests. The clean diesel vehicles emitted pollutants at levels of up to 40 times that of regular gas. I don't remember when this happened, but I remember it happening. And it was just like seriously, Volkswagen seriously. And that's just another way of them using the ploy tactic.
8:59
Number four, irrelevant claims when environmental claims are made by a company but the company cannot or won't prove evidence to back it up. It might be new, relevant claim an example of this is you've might come across labels that say they're free of certain chemicals. Sometimes the actual substance might be banned by the government or law, and it's irrelevant advertising as going green. So sometimes companies will put free of blah, blah, blah, but that country actually bans that ingredient. So all products actually do not have that ingredient in it. But it's just a way for companies to be like, Look at me, look at me. I don't have that ingredient in my products, when in fact like all products don't have that ingredient. In addition, you might come across labels like not tested on animals. This becomes irrelevant in places like China, where testing on animals is required by law, either intentionally or inadvertently, companies continue to bend the truth or simply ignore it. Another example is when a company claims a product is beneficial to the environment, when it's only less harmful than it was before, aka they change only one ingredient. But then they advertise it as being green, greener, or organic version of the other one. A good example is laundry detergent or cleaning products with normal and green versions. So there's a lot of companies out there that will have a green product, but then they have the regular counterpart out there. So it's kind of irrelevant some of the claims that they're coming up with.
10:35
And lastly, number five, bait and switch. A company that promotes one of their products or collections as being green, and environmentally friendly, when in fact, most of their product line is not eco friendly, or green at all. Corporations can put up an act of being environmentally friendly, low waste, and have a very non environmentally friendly trade off. An example of this is when clothing companies use natural or recycled materials. Well, the material is actually developed through exploitation, which to no surprise does not meet the definition of recycling. And a great example of this is the H&M conscious collection. So they have H&M has terrible working conditions for their employees overseas, as well as are no true eco friendly plan to reduce fashion waste. And I just wanted to give an example. So you have H&M, the majority of their clothing is fast fashion, like all of it, right? And they're hoping that you're going to see a big sign as constant conscious collection, organic and recycled materials are used in the making of these products. But in fact, like it's all made overseas, like I said, and they're not treating their workers fair. So regardless, if they're made of like recycled materials and organic cotton, just the fact that they don't pay their employees fair wages just totally turns me off. But what I wanted to say is, so the consumer sees, oh, they have a conscious collection, I'm gonna go, you know, do my part and buy some organic T shirts, and then they walk in, and 90% of their clothing is non organic is just not part of the conscious collection. So they're hoping that people come in and buy the other products as well. So it's a bait and switch, come in, look at me, look at me. But over here, look what we have over here. So it's just to be mindful and aware that companies do this. There are a lot of fast fashion say that 10 times fast, fast fashion brands that do that they come up with a green collection to show the world hey, I care about the environment. But if you really, really did care, you'd pay your workers fair wages, and your whole collection would start to be a green collection. Genuine companies that care about the planet would definitely provide more information about energy, water condition, greenhouse gas emissions, and more. So a really truly like company that really cares. They're going to be able to answer your questions when you go to your website. When it comes to like I said energy, water conditions and all that kind of stuff, and how their workers are paid and where the clothing is made or where the product is made.
13:22
Greenwashing has been around for a long time, yet it has escalated in the recent years. On the one hand, it's great to see customers reaching for green products. But on the other hand, it's harmful to the public's health as well as the environment when companies use misleading labels, packaging and marketing to promote green products that aren't actually green. I hope you learned something new about greenwashing from this episode, and inspire others to live a little more green. For more green living inspiration, listen to my latest episode, including episode 23 waste free closet clean out, Episode 22 The Eco impact of fast fashion and Episode 21 eight ways to create a low waste one. Stay connected with me on Instagram @greenjunkiepodcast. And don't forget to subscribe to the Green Junkie Podcast on the platform you're listening on. If you're curious about zero waste, living sustainable fashion, or wondering how to read food cleaning and product labels, I've got you covered for direct access to me. Click the link in the show notes where you can ask me questions and get a customized plan and how you can live a greener life. Hop on a one on one call with me or ask me your questions via email, if zoom is not your thing. Or let's chat over Voxer – it's a web based app. I will be your Green Google and you can pick my brain. Thank you for listening, and I'll see you next Tuesday Green Junkie.
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