“Greenwash” is defined in the 10th edition of the Concise Oxford English Dictionary as the “Disinformation disseminated by an organization so as to present an environmentally responsible public image.”
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3. What is Greenwashing?
“Greenwash” is defined in the 10th edition of the
Concise Oxford English Dictionary as the
“Disinformation disseminated by an organization
so as to present an environmentally responsible
public image.”
“Greenwashing,” a term derived from the term
“whitewashing,” was coined by enviromental
activists to describe efforts by corporations to
portray themselves as environmentally responsible
in order to mask environmental wrongdoings.
4. What’s wrong with
Greenwashing?
It is misleading!
It attempts to trick us into believing that a
company with an awful environmental track record
actually has a good one.
If one corporation gets away with
greenwashing, then other corporations will
follow, thereby creating an illusion of being
environmentally friendly.
5. Why Greenwash?
With the rising concerns of global warming, people are
becoming more and more aware of the dangers that will
arise if they don’t take the needs of mother earth into
consideration.
People are looking for environmentally friendly products
that are good for the environment and their personal
health.
Corporations turn to greenwashing to make themselves
look more environmentally friendly so that they can keep
their customers coming back. If corporations were up
front with their environmental wrongdoings, customers
would most likely take their business elsewhere.
6. Who does Greenwashing?
A closer look at who is “greenwashing,” and how they
are successfully marketing false advertisements.
7. Kraft’s Post Selects Cereals
Kraft’s Post Select
cereals have falsely
promoted its cereals
as having “natural
ingredients” when
in fact the corn
used in the cereal is
genetically
engineered!
8. Tyson Chicken
Tyson Chicken is
also guilty of falsly
advertising their
products. They
promote their
chicken as “all
natural” even
though they treat
their chicken with
antibiotics!
9. Comanche Trace
Comanche Trace is a commercial developer. They
claim that their golf courses are “great habitats,”
even though golf course deplete natural habitats
and use pesticides that poison groundwater.
10. Clairol
Clairol has claimed
their line of Herbal
Essences shampoos
offer a “truly organic
experience,” even
though the shampoos
use chemicals such as
sodium lauryl sulfate,
propylene glycol and
D&C red no. 33, which
are all not organic.
11. General Motors
General Motors has falsely
promoted its cars as
environmentally friendly, with
ads that have their SUV’s in
natural habitats as if they were
as natural as the surrounding
trees. Ford, for example, has
launched the new Escape Hybrid.
What they fail to tell the public
is they only produce 20,000 of
these cars a year, while
continuing to produce almost
80,000 F-series trucks per month!
12. Conclusion
Greenwashing has become a very popular way for
corporations to get ahead of their competitors.
It is a way for corporations to make themselves more
marketable by hiding behind a mask and concealing their
true colors.
Not only has greenwashing fooled the general public, but it
has made many corporations extremely prosperous.
13. Greenwashing has proven itself a workable solution for the
many corporations using the technique, but at the same
time, has stirred up a lot of discussion.
Greenwashing will continue to be utilized by many
corporations and the consumer will continue to buy. In a
world where the fight to the top is a never ending battle,
green washing will continue to be the tool of choice.
14. SOURCES
GE’s Greenwashing
http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2005/05/13/ges_greenwashing.php
Greenwashing Junk Food
http://www.lime.com/blog/savasthi/7189/greenwashing_junk_food_/
Turn up the Heat
http://www.turnuptheheat.org/
Some Companies Find It’s Not Easy Marketing Green
http://www.brandweek.com/bw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002878049
“Ecologists unmoved by ‘green’ wave in advertising”
http://www.iht.com/bin/print_ipub.php?
file=/articles/2006/01/17/business/bxgreen.php
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