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| How to avoid the seven sins of greenwashing |
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Dec. 4, 2009 – Avoiding greenwashing does not
mean waiting for a perfect product. It does mean that sound science, honesty and transparency are paramount. It means avoiding the Seven Sins of
Greenwashing:
1) Avoid the Sin of the Hidden Trade-Off. a) Start with an honest understanding of all of the environmental impacts of your product across its entire lifecycle. b) Emphasize specific messages (particularly when you know your audiences care about those issues) but don’t use single issues to distract attention from other impacts. c) Don’t make claims about a single environmental impact or benefit, without knowing how your product performs in terms of its other impacts, and without sharing that information with your customers. d) Pursue continual improvement of your environmental footprint (across the entire lifecycle), and encourage your customers to join you on that journey.
2) Avoid the Sin of No Proof. a) Understand and confirm the scientific case behind each green marketing claim. b) Make evidence readily available, or rely on third-party certifications whose standards are publically available.
3) Avoid the Sin of Vagueness. a) Use language that resonates with your customers, as long as that language is truthful. b) Don’t use vague names and terms (e.g. ‘environmentally-friendly’) without providing precise explanations of your meaning.
4) Avoid the Sin of Worshiping False Labels. a) If third-party endorsement of your claims is important: Get it, don’t fake it. b) Favor eco-labels that are themselves accredited, and that address the entire lifecycle of the products
5) Avoid the Sin of Irrelevance. a) Don’t claim CFC-free, unless it is a legitimate point of competitive differentiation. b) Don’t claim any environmental benefit that is shared by all or most of your competitors.
6) Avoid the Sin of the Lesser of Two Evils. a) Help each customer find the product that is right for them, based on their needs and wants. b) Don’t try to make a customer feel ‘green’ about a choice that is harmful or unnecessary.
7) Avoid the Sin of Fibbing. a) Tell the truth. Always. b) Always tell the truth. Source: www.sinsofgreenwashing.org
OTHER ANTI-GREENWASHING RESOURCES
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