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  • 1.  Green washing?

    Posted 10-01-2025 14:54

    What's your understanding on green washing?



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    Collins
    [City]
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  • 2.  RE: Green washing?

    Posted 30 days ago

    In general, my understanding is the surge in demand for sustainable products has led to "greenwashing," where deceptive marketing misleads consumers about a product's environmental benefits. This is prevalent in agriculture, with companies exploiting eco-friendly labels without meeting standards. 

    Conceptually greenwashing uses misleading claims to present an environmentally responsible image. In agriculture, this includes false "organic" labels or promoting unsustainable practices as green.

    Some forms of greenwashing in agriculture are:

    ·      Misleading Labels: Products may be labelled "organic" or "eco-friendly" without adhering to criteria.

    ·      False Advertising: Companies exaggerate environmental benefits through imagery and language.

    ·      Selective Disclosure: Only highlighting positive aspects while ignoring harmful practices.

    The implications of greenwashing in agriculture are:

    ·      Consumer Deception: Erodes trust between consumers and producers.

    ·      Environmental Harm: Continues harmful practices under the guise of sustainability.

    ·      Economic Impact: Creates unfair competition for genuinely sustainable farmers.

    Regulatory and consumer solutions can be:

    ·      Stricter Regulations: Enforce clear criteria and regular audits for environmental claims.

    ·      Consumer Awareness: Educate consumers on identifying genuinely sustainable practices.

    ·      Corporate Accountability: Hold companies accountable through reporting and penalties for false claims.

    By addressing greenwashing in agriculture it requires stricter regulations, increased consumer awareness, and corporate accountability to support true sustainability and protect food systems' integrity.



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    Sustainable Development Pillar
    [City]
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Green washing?

    Posted 16 days ago

    Greenwashing is the process of conveying a false impression or misleading information about how a company's products are environmentally sound. Greenwashing involves making an unsubstantiated claim to deceive consumers into believing that a company's products are environmentally friendly or have a greater positive environmental impact than they actually do.

    In addition, greenwashing may occur when a company attempts to emphasize sustainable aspects of a product to overshadow the company's involvement in environmentally damaging practices. Greenwashing can sometimes occur when a company sponsors with a good environmental brand to deflect the sponsoring  companies poor environmental record. Greenwashing often is performed through the use of environmental imagery, misleading labels, and hiding tradeoffs, greenwashing is a play on the term "whitewashing," which means using false information to intentionally hide wrongdoing, error, or an unpleasant situation in an attempt to make it seem less bad than it is.

    How Greenwashing Works

    Also known as "green sheen," greenwashing is an attempt to capitalize on the growing demand for environmentally sound products, whether that means they are more natural, healthier, free of chemicals, recyclable, or less wasteful of nature resources

    The term originated in the 1960s, when the hotel industry devised one of the most blatant examples of greenwashing. They placed notices in hotel rooms asking guests to reuse their towels to save the environment. The hotels enjoyed the benefit of lower laundry costs.

    More recently, some of the world's biggest carbon emitters, such as conventional energy companies  have attempted to rebrand themselves as champions of the environment. Products are greenwashed through a process of renaming, rebranding, or repackaging them. Greenwashed products might convey the idea that they're more natural, wholesome, or free of chemicals than competing brands. The use of terminology such as "eco-friendly" or "sustainable," which are vague and not verifiable. Imagery of nature or wildlife can also connote environmental friendliness, even when the product is not green. Companies may also cherry-pick data from research to highlight green practices while obscuring others that are harmful. Such information can even come from biased research that the company funds or carries out itself. 

    How can you spot Green Washing  - it sometimes can be hard as you have to research where the claim is not correct.

    There is often no evidence to back up the claims that a company is making. Sometimes verifying can be difficult, but you can look to third-party research and analyst reports, as well as check the product's ingredients list. Example a claim something has 50% more environmentally friendly fibres in a rug. The rug previously contained 2% but now has 3% so technically not incorrect but stretching its Greeness claim.

    Example 2 A plastic package containing a new shower curtain is labeled "recyclable." It is not clear whether the package or the shower curtain is recyclable. In either case, the label is deceptive if any part of the package or its contents, other than minor components, cannot be recycled

    True green products will often be certified by an official vetting organization, which will be clearly labeled.

    Why Is Greenwashing Bad?

    Greenwashing is deceitful and unethical because it misleads investors and consumers who are genuinely seeking environmentally friendly companies or products. Often, green products can be sold at a premium, making them more expensive, which can lead consumers to overpay. If greenwashing is revealed, it can seriously damage a company's reputation and brand.

     

    Key Takeaways

    • Greenwashing is an attempt to capitalize on the growing demand for environmentally sound products.
    • Greenwashing can convey a false impression that a company or its products are environmentally conscious or friendly.
    • Critics have accused some companies of greenwashing to capitalize on the socially responsible or environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing movement.
    • Genuinely green products or businesses back up their claims with facts and details.
    • Greenwashing is different to Green Marketing.

    Hope that helps

    Luise M



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    Luise
    [City]
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    Original Message