Avoiding Greenwashing as a Business
How many times have you heard the terms "all-natural," "eco-friendly," or "going green" within the past few years? Likely a lot. We're tired of it, and as an environmental marketing agency, we want to help you authentically achieve your goals as a sustainable business and recognize when other brands are genuine.
Greenwashing- the definition
According to Merriam-Webster, greenwashing is "expressions of environmentalist concerns, especially as a cover for products, policies, or activities." In other words, it's when a company spends time claiming it's environmentally friendly when, in reality, it's not and isn't making any efforts to do so. It deceives people into believing its products, practices, or services are sustainable.
Slapping an "eco-friendly" label on products reduces the value of genuinely environmentally friendly businesses. However, since these brands are most likely greenwashing on purpose, they have chosen to use these keywords to capitalize on global consumer trends.
The Origins of Greenwashing
Greenwashing has existed for many years, and it can be tricky to identify and determine whether products are eco-friendly. It's become more of an issue as the sustainability trend has risen. More and more people are choosing to buy environmentally friendly products and are being misled by these companies who maybe do one thing good to make up for, or even attempt to cover, the many things they are doing that are not good.
According to a 2008 survey conducted by communications agency Cone Inc., of 2,129 products claimed to be green, 98% were later revealed to be conventional products, and businesses were guilty of greenwashing.
As the younger generation continues to demand low-impact brands and legislation mandates the use of recycled materials and the exclusion of dangerous ingredients, unethical businesses are scrambling to devise additional ways to hide their production methods.
Examples of Greenwashing in Fashion
H&M is a well-known fast fashion brand that has made many claims that it's now focusing on sustainable fashion. According to a news article published in 2021, H&M was found to be at the top of the list for false claims, with 96% of their claims not matching their actions. Specifically, this brand is guilty of releasing a small eco-friendly collection while maintaining poor-quality materials in the rest of its product line- a few pieces of eco-conscious fabric do not cancel out the rest of their behavior.
BooHoo, another fast-fashion brand, also created a 'sustainable collection.' However, the items that were 'sustainable' were found to contain acrylic, a type of plastic. They also partnered with Kourtney Kardashian, a celebrity known for endorsing a healthy and more eco-friendly lifestyle, to endorse their sustainable collection. This is known as celebrity washing, and it's becoming a huge problem due to the frequency of social media usage.
Additionally, these fast fashion brands are typically affiliated with inhumane working conditions and are even guilty of child labor and indentured servitude.
Caught Guilty Greenwashing?
If customers find out you are greenwashing, you'll lose trust and loyalty within your audience, which you don't want. Being transparent in your sustainability efforts is critical. This includes details and honesty regarding your products, packaging, and manufacturing. Don't make false claims, but also do not omit information. It is better to be upfront about who you are and what you are doing, including outlining any plans or goals that touch sustainability and ethics.
Showcase you are Sustainable and not Greenwashing
It helps to create a designated section on your website and social media platforms that explicitly states your commitment to sustainability, perhaps with outlined steps. Using pointed keywords and phrases rather than "environmentally friendly" shows what makes your products/business environmentally friendly. Showing data and metrics you've used to track your sustainability efforts will also be beneficial. Being patient but consistent with achieving your goals is crucial to crafting your environmentally friendly business.
Sustainability information should be easy to find. If customers can’t find it on a Mission, About, or dedicated Sustainability page, they are urged to look elsewhere.
The business's actions need to be completely transparent, easy to understand, and specific.
Releasing too many items too often is airing on the side of fast fashion and also shows a lack of longevity in a product. It also encourages excess spending from the consumer, when instead, there could be fewer products made of higher quality and more expensive.
The ability to ask questions. If there is no FAQ, customers should easily be able to contact and receive a response.
Seek third-party certifications that are difficult to obtain and have a proven track record, such as B Corp or Fair Trade.
Tips on Writing Your Sustainability Webpage
Here is your chance to explain the science, the charitable organizations you partner with, how your customers contribute to the world by purchasing from you, and how you are decreasing your business’s environmental impact at every step of the production and sales chain.
Make sure to include pictures that relate to what you are talking about. Link to organizations you work with or certifications you have achieved. You can use timelines; you can ask questions, and you can show your personality.
One thing we don’t recommend is adding too much information. This will slow down your website's speed, and some folks will lose interest. A way to still include all you want to include is to write a blog, or even multiple blogs, that deep-dive into specific topics. You can then link to your blogs from this page, which will help your SEO performance.
Your blogs can even explain programs and certifications, and those can link back to your Sustainability page and to whatever outside entity they are referencing. Again, this will help your SEO.
Regarding pictures, be conscious of the pixels so they don’t hinder web performance. At the same time, you want to ensure your photos are professional, impactful, and relevant to the topics you explain on this page.
Think about your call to action on this page. When a customer reads this, what do you want them to do next?
ESG: Environmental Social Governance Policy
As the world wakes up to the value of sustainability and ethical treatment of people and beings, a new concept has surfaced—ESG. This ideal production method includes the treatment of your workers, including those who make your material and their working conditions. After all, sustainability is not just about the planet; it is about creating something that causes little to no environmental damage and is built to last.
How to spot greenwashing brands
Consumers should look beyond the label and research companies before purchasing products. It's also worth considering researching businesses' histories to see if they've been greenwashed and are untrustworthy. Websites and social media pages are where all this information will/should be, so as a business, it's essential to disclose this to customers.
As a business, building trust with consumers and standing out is essential.
So now that we understand greenwashing and why it's bad overall, let's dive into what is being done to combat it!
Europe's Game-Changing Policy and its Impact on Greenwashing and Marketing
Thanks to AI and the algorithms that dictate all that we see on social media, I have been personally victimized by greenwashing. Brands can use the right keywords to get themselves in front of me and other conscious consumers despite not being environmentally friendly. Until now, there has been no regulation regarding keywords and marketing for businesses. However, greenwashing has caused such a problem of misinformation, tricking customers and hurting good companies that the EU decided that something needed to change.
In 2024, the EU banned eco-marketing terms, including favorites like eco-friendly, green, biodegradable, and environmentally friendly. These words won't be your SEO magic bullets anymore. But you know what? It might be the solution to tackle the greenwashing predicament messing with our eco-conscious minds.
What this means for Marketers and Consumers
Since the birth of digital marketing, keywords have been the cornerstone of SEO, dictating visibility and optimization. Whether you're aware of it or not, every time you read a blog, the author has chosen a select group of words that get you to stumble upon their writing. Marketing strategies must be more nuanced and context-driven without the crutch of green terms. Marketers must work with businesses to develop new methods to showcase their eco-efforts, and companies must also think outside the box. Showing versus telling, incorporating more storytelling, seeking out accredited third-party certifications, and public impact reports are all ways to combat this keyword ban. Learn more about green business strategies in our Ecopreneur Handbook. It is free when you subscribe to our email list!
Combatting Greenwashing
Europe's goal is to prohibit using these eco terms to combat greenwashing when companies deceptively market products as eco-friendly. The ban on such words, usually associated with greenwashing, is the catalyst for demanding more accountability from companies. This new call to revise marketing strategies will propel businesses toward authenticity, transparency, and a more genuine commitment to sustainability.
Our Response
The new phase in global marketing tactics demands marketers to evolve and adapt their strategies. In light of the ban, content creators are called to embrace alternate keywords and educate consumers in a way that will empower them to discern genuine environmental initiatives from deceptive eco-marketing. The future of digital marketing will need to confront the pervasive issue of greenwashing and foster informed decision-making, driving a shift toward ethical consumerism.
PlanIt's Path Forward
When we first heard this news, we panicked. How will this impact our business, and how will we be discovered by clients genuinely interested in these topics and our services? But in reality, perhaps it was just the boost we needed. Aside from keyword stuffing, there are so many ways that a business can show who they are and what their values are, including the organizations and nonprofits a company chooses to partner with, incorporating a circular model into their products or packaging, full transparency of their manufacturing process, and more.
If you, too, felt a sense of panic when you heard about this ban and wondered how you would reach your like-minded customers, knowing that you DO the right thing and DO NOT greenwash your customers, you are not alone, and also- we are here to help. We can work with you to develop an action plan for a variety of ways in which you can make your environmental and ethical ethos known to your audience. We will work with you on your messaging strategy, partnerships, and even in-house policies to put you on the right track and signify to the world that you are making bold moves for the right reasons.
"Two paths diverged in a wood, and I took the path less traveled." This is one of our favorite quotes and something we live by. While the path to sustainability is currently the path less traveled, with our help, your help, and the right, we can make it the everyday path to follow!
Contact us to get started.
