How to avoid the seven sins of greenwashing

WEB FEATURE

How to avoid the seven sins of greenwashing
Avoiding greenwashing does not
mean waiting for a perfect product. It does mean that sound science, honesty and transparency are paramount.

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

• www.sinsofgreenwashing.org
• www.terrachoice.com
• www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Greenwashing
  Instructions on how to detect and monitor greenwashing and provides a list of
  numerous articles on the topic.
• www.treehugger.com
• www.sustainabilitytelevision.com
• www.stopgreenwash.org
• www.rainforest-alliance.org/
• www.bsr.org/reports/Understanding_Preventing_Greenwash.pdf
  Understanding and Preventing Greenwash: A Business Guide (European, July 2009)
• www.Greenwashingindex.com
• www.greenbiz.com
• http://issuu.com/interbrand/docs/bgb2009_magazine_final
  Interbrand: Best Global Brands 2009