What the Hell Is ... Greenwashing

Greenwashing is a marketing effort where a product or service is presented as "green," when in actuality it may not be environmentally friendly. Under this strategy, a company may change its look or use a buzzword like "organic" or "natural" to try and convince consumers that it has lowered its negative impact on the environment. Greenwashing is an environmental reinterpretation of the concept of whitewashing, wherein a corporation uses a biased presentation in attempting to cover up wrongdoing.

As it stands currently, there is not a lot of restriction on green advertising. The Federal Trade Commission is considering an update on green marketing guidelines, but the "Green Guides," haven't been revised since 1998. In response, a proliferation of consumer advocacy watchdogs have come into existence featured on websites like EnviroMedia's Greenwashing Index. And the planet-conscious claims of marketing campaigns are being called into question.

Recent debates over greenwashing have covered the sustainability of Procter & Gamble's Swiffer and whether Kimberly-Clark, maker of Kleenex and the world's largest tissue manufacturer, was effectively protecting heritage forests in Canada.

Origin

The concept of greenwashing appeared in the early 1990s. It arose as a response to the upsurge in green marketing by corporations designed to coincide with the 20th anniversary of Earth Day in 1990.