Seven Sins Of Greenwashing new version

“the Seven Sins of Greenwashing” What it is, why it happens, and how to avoid it

What it is Green wash (grēn'wŏsh', - wôsh') “verb: the act of misleading consumers regarding practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service.”

What it is Spending more on advertising green then actual investing in sustainable action Like BP, ”Beyond Petroleum”: 45 million in solar versus 5 billion on oil exploration in Alaska

Why it happens 1 changing buying patterns in consumer markets

Smallest of niches  Very desirable  market, set to grow   1/33  1/3 

“Green is a new sort of ‘good manners’”

CULTURAL CREATIVES | LOHAS | NEW WORLD’S  | BLUE GREENS | POSITIVE CHOSERS ...  high-educated, involved, opinionated, active, merely urban, double income, early-adapting, ... And marketers are starving to get them

Why it happens 2   Our educaUon:  we’re moUvated to tell the story   in the most beauUful way 

Isn’t this how you would think of advertising milk? We are educated to make things look nice

Why all the fuss? Why is that so bad?

HARMING THE FUTURE   More complaints against advertising   Undermining confidence in business   Sabotage of environmental movement in business. Damage credibility of sustainability   Feeding cynical views on sustainability HARMING YOURSELF   Brand image damage, bad press attention   Decreasing employer motivation   Decreasing goodwill of strategic stakeholders   Honestly…It is simply annoying   And last but not least…

You don’t want this kind of circus on your doorstep

2 ways you can avoid greenwashing

A   SUck to the MAIN PRINCIPLE of  GreenverUsing:  Green is special  Green is normal  “Green Marke*ng is not about making normal things seem green (greenwashing), it is about making green stuﬀ seem normal”

B Be aware of the “seven sins of Greenwashing”:

1 The sin of suggestive pictures: Green images that indicate a (un‐jusUﬁed) green impact,   like ﬂowers blooming from exhaust pipes 

2 The sin of the hidden trade off: Green product/ Dirty company  SuggesUon of being Green, based on a single environmental a`ribute, while  blurring all other parameters which are maybe more important.  Expl. talking about your 4% green energy,  to hide all the rest 

3   The sin of no proof:  Claims that could be right, but are not supported by any evidence,   or by any reliable third‐party cerUﬁcaUon. 

4 The sin of vagueness: Claims that are expressed with fluffy language without a fixed meaning, like ‘earth-friendly’ packaging

5    The sin of irrelevance:  environmental claims that are redundant and unimportant for customers   seeking environmentally preferable products. It is irrelevant and therefore  distracts the consumer from ﬁnding a truly greener opUon.  Like ‘unleaded fuel (all fuel in Europe is unleaded)  … 

6 The sin of lesser of two evils: These are “green” claims that may be true within the product category, but that risk distracting the consumer from the greater Health- or other negative impacts of the category as a whole Like organic cigarettes

2 Million Euro’s narrowing the ‘open’ debate to pro  versus contra nuclear, ignoring all alternaUves 

7   The sin of ﬁbbing  out‐right lying, and produce totally fabricated claims or data

Cut out and keep  “The seven sins of Greenwashing” 1. The sin of suggesUve pictures  2. The sin of the hidden trade oﬀ  3. The sin of no proof  4. The sin of vagueness  5. The sin of irrelevance  6. The sin of lesser of two evils  7. The sin of ﬁbbing 

Thanks for your attention!

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Seven Sins Of Greenwashing new version

by Studio Spark on Mar 21, 2010

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