In today's world there is a lot of false advertising about how some products are so good for you. Take any product - Maggi says it can be cooked in 2 minutes (who has ever really managed that???)
But what I am going to talk about is a little more serious - it is how false advertising can make you choose products which are very harmful.
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What is Green washing?
Green washing is when a company false advertises their products so that people they they are environmentally friendly, when they are actually not. They may be doing this by hiding vital information or by providing some false information as well. Capitalists take advantage of consumer obliviousness and deceive them by selling these products.
Companies prefer to sell these advertisements of green washing, rather than actually putting the effort to implement such techniques into their manufacturing processes. And, the word green wash sounds just like - brain wash right, that is exactly what it is. They brain wash you into believing how green their products actually are.
How companies actually green wash people ?
People fall for anything that might look green , or have leaves or the earth logo on it. It may shows that it is organic, they might just make a random recycling sign anywhere on the product large enough to show how evident it is. But do they actually do this? Some of the logos or certifications they have are even self-created or not reliable , so you need to watch out for these. Products might say that they have extracted it in its very natural way, but they do they point out what all preservatives they have added on top of it?
They might also be green-washing you by telling you how they are free from some harmful chemicals - eg. I buy a shampoo which says it is free from parabens, but is it free from other chemicals as well like SLS ? We only focus on one aspect of it and tend to overlook the other aspect of it, which is equally crucial.
Which companies have been accused of green washing?
The automotive industry - selling cars and vehicles has been in the news for brainwashing people. Especially the company- Volkswagen which was in the news last year as they had been marketing their cars under the tag of been green fuel cars. The company wanted to sell more cars in the US and aimed to boost sales by marketing the car as "Low emission vehicle". However, the cars were rigged with such a device which could cheat the test of such emissions. The cars actually produced 40 times more emissions than were permitted in the US.
Another way would be when the companies products are quite harmful or produce a lot of non-biodegradable residue in the process. Instead of revamping the entire process the company may start a side initiative where they showcase what all they are actually doing for the environment.
A similar example what be the famous cosmetics company - The Body Shop - all their products are sold in plastic bottles and tubes. They hardly have any eco-friendly products, most of them have various chemicals and preservatives. They have recently started a campaign called BYOB - Bring Back Your Bottle . They state about the beauty industry produces so much plastic and how it ends up in landfills or in the ocean. So, if we return them our bottles they can undertake the recycling process.
It is a laudable effort, more than most companies are actually even doing right now. But, this is also a marketing strategy where consumers feel that they are buying from a company which believes in recycling - even if they actually do it or not.
Also, just because they are doing this, doesn't reduce their overall environmental impact. It doesn't reduce the carbon footprint of the company as whole.
Another example would be of brands like H&M, Mango which have started a segment of their brand which sells organic cotton products, or products which are made from recycled cloth. They even ask you to bring large bags filled with clothes- which they apparently recycle. But, compared to their main segment this effort is a very small percentage.
One more example would be of any bank which says it is making efforts by taking up corporate social responsibility projects- however along the side they lend to large fossil fuel companies.
Same way, any government could also be green washing you with their green campaign. A green campaign may on one side highlight the officials planting trees, banning plastic. At the same time they may not be putting any restrictions on companies which are highly polluting, they also lease out large amounts of land in the environmentally sensitive zones to companies to set up factories.
We need to keep our eyes open to spot such things, as they may not be highlighted immediately to us.
How to avoid green washing?
The best way to avoid green washing are the following:
1. Buy products from companies that you know are 100% organic and reliable.
2. Stay updated for any news on big companies for having a large carbon footprint - any measures that they have taken to be green, if they are not countering it with not efforts which are non eco-friendly.
3. Don't believe all the logos and certifications listed on the website of the product. Even on the packaging of the product look out for the way the product is disposable.
4. A lot of companies have been endorsed by celebrities and they just generally state that it is so natural and healthy- look out for such false advertising.
5. Look into the details of the product - if the product is organic then are they selling it in plastic containers. One common example would be consuming green tea/tea using tea bags which are actually made of very find plastic/synthetic products which are not -biodegradable. However, the inside of the bag maybe completely organic.
So, you need to be a wise consumer .
If you have more suggestions regarding which companies to look out for, or ways to not fall for green washing, then do mention them in the comments section below.
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