Have you
ever watched Portlandia? I love that show! It is a laugh out loud satirical
comedy that shamelessly mocks some of our “first world issues”. Yes…..you can
understand why I like it.
My
favourite episode of Portlandia (second only to the “Cacao” episode) is the
episode where Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein
(stars and creators of the program) mock the trend where folks put a bird on
absolutely everything: purses, glassware, clothes……and suddenly, after a little
artisanal embellishment, they are transformed into something worthy of the
spend. Owl much?
It got me
thinking……about greenwashing.
Greenwashing:
defined as “…. the act of misleading consumers regarding
the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a
product or service.”
So…..in essence, when a company is
guilty of greenwashing, they are simply “Putting a bird on it” and tricking
consumers into believing that they are worthy of the spend.
Gosh! I
love it when a good metaphor comes together. Put a bow on this one!
How can
consumers protect themselves from getting tricked?
Beware of
a sudden trend: when you begin seeing the same wording over and over on
products (yes….that damn bird again), you should be wary. The manufacturer may
be committing one of the “Seven Sins of Greenwashing” (Terrachoice):
- The sin of the hidden tradeoff
- The sin of no proof
- The sin of vagueness
- The sin of worshipping false labels
- The sin of irrelevance
- The sin of the lesser of two evils
- The sin of fibbing
Terrachoice
warns consumers to be wary of meaningless terminology that has no scientific
basis, i.e. eco-safe.
Don’t
feel badly if you have been a victim of greenwashing….. believe me, we ALL have
from time to time. How can we be better at spotting the “bird” on our products?
Look for
the word “green” – if you see the word “green”, it bears further investigation.
What do they mean it’s green? It might be guilty of at least 4 of the sins
(Green-Eyed Event Planner……I actually do have green eyes, so I am…errrr [cough]
guilty of perhaps one sin).
Look up
your labels in advance – find out which environmental labels are legitimate.
Beware
the environmental oxymoron: safe pesticides, paperless meeting (don’t get me
started on the paperless meeting claims…paperless doesn’t mean paper-free…so
perhaps that is more of an eco-conundrum wrapped in BPA free plastic wrap,
dipped in fair-trade chocolate and surrounded by cage free chickens).
It is
okay to be a little cynical about environmental claims. When manufacturers know
that the public is watching them closely, and calling them out using social
media, they will be less likely to commit a “sin”.
So……the
next time you go shopping, beware the “birds” of greenwashing….and perhaps
watch a few episodes of Portlandia.
Judy
