"Go green" goes down -- send greenwashing with it

The Greenwash Brigade

Sustainable Industries predicts that in 2009, going green will go down — because everyone’s done it. Thanks to its prevalence, it’s harder for companies to get noticed when they do something green, and consumers have become more “mature” about greenwashing. Now, an “authentic story” is key.

I hope they’re right - I’m sick of everyone “going green.” Give me authenticity!

Those of us on the Greenwash Brigade go on and on about standards, and here I go again.

Business leaders, I ask for carbon footprint labeling on every item you sell!

The UK already has almost two years’ experience with carbon footprint labeling, thanks to Carbon Trust. The label “shows the total greenhouse gas emissions from every stage of the product’s lifecycle,” including production, transportation, preparation, use and disposal. Is it perfect? Probably not - but it gives consumers a yardstick to compare products when shopping.

Plus, it’s cute. I might buy even a pair of socks just because of the cute foot on the tag. Or a t-shirt with the label printed on the front.

Readers - what do you want businesses to do to send greenwashing down?

January 7, 2009 by Janne K. Flisrand
7 comments

tags: certifications

Comments (7)

Global Patriot | Respond
January 8, 2009 10:41 AM PT

Authenticity and Transparency - that's what corporations need to focus on in 2009. Don't just toss out some standard boilerplate PR spin on how good you're doing - change how you operate, measure it, and report it.

I'm also a big supporter of giving consumers the data as relates to carbon footprint. Since seeing the list of ingredients on packaged food we've had the option to make smarter decisions about what we eat, now we need the same 'truth' when it comes to how products are made.

Flak | Respond
January 8, 2009 1:20 PM PT

Define green - define sustainable - define energy efficient - define organic

Give us a clear guideline as to what these things are and there would be less greenwashing.

@GP - Fine, but we'll charge you for it. As companies are folding at rates unseen since the Depression, and unemployment rates are skyrocketing, let's impose additional costs on corporations?

Jim | Respond
January 15, 2009 7:13 AM PT

In the building design and construction industry, I'm not seeing the, "it's a depression / let's impose additional costs on corporations" concerns that were apparently sardonically voiced in Flak's comments.

Instead, it seems that 'green' and energy efficiency are increasingly seen by clients as smarter and more cost-conscious than the alternative of conventional practice. With such volatile energy prices, and the strong likelihood of some form of carbon tax or cap in the near future, it's risky NOT to embrace green.

Jerry Yudelson recently published his Top Ten Trends in Green Building for 2009. He foresees continued green building growth, projecting more than 60 percent growth in 2009, with increasing focus on existing building retrofits and renewable energy generation. And the industry is expected to benefit from the priorities of the incoming Obama administration.

When considered "doing more with less," what better economic times could there be than a downturn for focusing on sustainability.

Michael | Respond
January 15, 2009 4:35 PM PT

There is a trash incinerator in my town that regularly sends out propaganda, a lot of it bragging about the millions it has spent on environmental improvements. What this propaganda leaves out is the fact that every last penny it spends on the environment, it is required to spend by law, laws which it spent millions lobbying against.

And Flak, why not just let the government set voluntary standards and certify good environmental practices? If a corporation wants green consumers, then of course they'll be willing to pay the extra price. All we greenies want is some guarantee that they're telling the truth, not something they have a credible record on these days.

George Lewis | Respond
February 3, 2009 5:54 PM PT

You're exactly the type of person I an looking to help: People that are getting tired of all the sites "claiming" they're suddenly "green" now.

But after 24 years working for some of the largest corporations Cingular, then SBC (now AT&T), and Office Depot (Business Division), I decided to launch www.ValidatedGreen.com - an an affordable (currently free in pre-launch) to help GOOD green sites and blogs offer what worked for me so well: THIRD-PARTY-VALIDATION. Whenever I entered a business for the first time, I always carried my little black notebook (no, not that kind of notebook) -- this was a collection of letters (testimonials) I had collected over the years showing how I went out-of-my-way to help SPECIFIC businesses when they needed me most.

A website is the same... when someone enters you sit (front door) for the first time, they have no reason to believe anything you claim. What is needed is a seal-of-approval like the one I'm launching: www.ValidatedGreen.com.

If anyone would like to learn more, or if sites and blogs would like to get a free site review (which doesn't guarantee their use of the seal), please visit get on our pre-launch notification list at: www.ValidatedGreen.com

Thanks

GeorgeLewis@ValidatedGreen.com

Kelly Drennan | Respond
February 11, 2009 5:53 PM PT

The fashion industry has a very long way to go yet in terms of becoming more sustainable. And so I am extremely optimistic that green efforts will increase over the next 1-3 years.

Wouldn't it be great if in 5 years the term sustainable no longer exists because we will have accomplished just that - sustaining the planet. And the new buzz word would be restore, or reform.

I agree that certain industries may see a drop off in the rate of greenshifting, because there is some great efforts being made (but whether those efforts are coming from an authentic place or not remains to be seen). The fashion industry however is only now just waking up to the realization that it has had an overwhelmingly negative impact on the planet.

Waste, water, energy and labour. These are the challenges the fashion industry faces. Fashion Takes Action is an organization whose mission is to effect positive change by providing members with tools and resources to become more sustainable. Even if it only means turning off the lights, or converting light bulbs for a major retail chain. It has to start somewhere. Ultimately the fashion industry should manufacture more sustainable fabrics like hemp and organic cotton. Water and energy consumption should be reduced drastically. Solid waste management needs to be enforced. Fair trade, fair labour, ethical sourcing - these are all important steps and as a whole less than 10% of the industry has chosen to make this shift.

So while I hate the greenwashers just as much as the next guy or gal, I really hope that consumers are a long way from hitting eco fatigue because there is still so much work to be done.

Alison | Respond
March 18, 2009 11:27 AM PT

I think that a carbon footprint info tag on products could be helpful in letting consumers figure out and decide which products are really 'natural' and 'healthy' for us overall. I agree with Flak though that better definitions of organic, sustainable etc, would be useful too. I don't want to buy something that is damaging to the environment - there's usually alternative options on what to buy - but it's hard to find that out.

For the bigger picture, and especially in light of our current financial debacle, accounting practices should be changed to give credit and financial reward for truly sustainable business practices. 'Green' MBA classes are beginning to be introduced, I've noticed, and this is a good start. I have always thought that 10%+ annual sales growth requirements are ridiculous. What does this mean? That a company should continue to grow and grow until it reaches the size of the planet? There's a finite size things can reach before collapsing, as we are seeing right now.

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Meet the Greenwash Brigade

Our hand-picked environmental professionals, each part of the Public Insight Network, are on the hunt for "greenwash" as they examine eco-friendly claims by companies, governments and other groups. They ask tough questions about the mainstreaming of green, from the perspectives of people in the trenches who are focused on these issues 24/7.

Jim Nicolow is a nationally recognized expert on sustainable design and leads the sustainability initiative for Lord, Aeck & Sargent, overseeing the incorporation of sustainable design strategies and features into the firm’s design projects. He is a LEED® Accredited Professional with extensive knowledge of the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED rating system.

Janne K. Flisrand has worked as an affordable housing and urban planning research consultant for five years, primarily supporting local non-profits. Her focus is on transit, transit-oriented design, affordable housing, and sustainability. Currently, she’s the program coordinator for Minnesota Green Communities, a program promoting affordable, healthy, sustainably built housing throughout Minnesota.

Dennis Markatos-Soriano recently completed a Master's in Public Affairs at Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School. He is now launching Sustainable Energy Transition (SET) to help individuals and institutions move from dependence on oil and gas to an efficient use of renewables. Previously, he co-founded SURGE (Students United for a Responsible Global Environment), which aims to bring young progressives together across issues of environmental and social justice throughout North Carolina and beyond. In the summer of 2006, he helped to start a small green company, Greenway Pedicabs, to provide a greenhouse gas-free transportation option for people in the Triangle of North Carolina.

Heidi Siegelbaum is a principal with Calyx Sustainable Tourism and works primarily on advancing sustainable tourism practices. She also specializes in science translation, cross-border indicators with Canada, cross-disciplinary planning and environmental technical assistance to businesses. Previously, she was in-house legal counsel for EPA for industrial chemicals and biotechnology and the senior performance measure analyst with the Washington State Department of Ecology. She is on the technical advisory committee of the Seattle Culinary Academy and a long standing member of the Chefs Collaborative.

NOTE: The opinions expressed by the Greenwash Brigade bloggers and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of American Public Media or its employees. American Public Media is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information supplied by the Greenwash Brigade bloggers.

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