The document discusses the prevalence of greenwashing, or deceptive eco-advertising, in the home appliance industry. It defines greenwashing and traces its origins back to the environmental movement of the 1970s. It then outlines Greenpeace's criteria for identifying greenwashing and discusses the "Seven Sins of Greenwashing," which are common misleading advertising tactics like making vague claims or focusing on a narrow attribute to portray a product as more environmentally friendly than it is. Several examples are given of companies using these tactics to greenwash home appliances like refrigerators and air conditioners. The document argues that retailers need to adopt more honest policies about the true environmental impact of the products they sell.

1. Greenwashing Deceptive eco-advertising and its prevalence in the home appliance industry.

2. What s Greenwashing? Deceptive or misleading advertising Designed to make products appear more Eco-Friendly

3. The History of Greenwashing The term first appeared in the 1970’s Coined by Jay Westerfield Combination of “green” and “whitewash” Began in response to the 1960’s environmental movement

4. Greenpeace’s Greenwash Criteria Dirty Business Ad Bluster Political Spin It’s the Law, Stupid!

5. The Seven Sins of Greenwashing Sin of the Hidden Trade-off Sin of No Proof Sin of Vagueness Sin of Worshipping False Labels Sin of Irrelevance Sin of The Lesser of Two Evils Sin of Fibbing

6. Sin of The Hidden Trade-Off Claiming that a product is “green” based on a narrow set of attributes, while ignoring others. Example: O.B. Claims their tampons will save one pound of waste per woman, but do not factor in the chemicals used to manufacture them.

7. Sin of No Proof A claim about a product that can’t be supported by evidence Example: Diapers claiming to contain a certain % of recycled materials.

8. Sin of Vagueness A claim that is too broad or not legally defined Example: “All-Natural” products

9. Sin of Worshipping False Labels Companies that create fake 3rd-Part endorsements Example: Magazines paid to evaluate products

10. Sin of Irrelevance A claim that may be truthful but is unhelpful Example: “CFC-Free”

11. Sin of the Lesser of Two Evils A product that is only green in comparison to other products in the category Example: Organic Cigarettes

12. Sin of Fibbing Outright lies Example: Companies falsely claiming to be energy-star certified

13. Genuine Green Labels

14. Home Appliances Refrigerators, Washers, Toaster, Air Conditioners..... We all have them Hard/Impossible to Realize Greenwashing

15. Example 1: Samsung Read everything carefully Don't believe everything you read or see Symbols don't always mean something Every Award is different

16. Example 2: LG Research Compare Multiple Tests Don't believe what they say Look into the history of the company, were they caught before?

17. Example 3: GE Promises are promises, nothing more Money means nothing, I can markup anything Companies don't need to give you the whole story. They can leave parts out that make huge differences.

18. Lowe’s-- Improving Homes? Selling Greenwashed products is only fueling the Greenwashing epidemic Needs to Re-think Objectives

19. Honest AND Eco-Friendly Adopt policy of honesty Share information on true green appliances and their companies Focus advertising on just those products

20. Benefits Reassure customers Improve sales Better the image of the company for the future