How to Spot Greenwashing? Plus 5 Useful Examples

In this post I will be talking about how to spot greenwashing, what does greenwashing mean and some examples of greenwashing so you know what to look out for yourself. More and more people over the last few years have been wanting to make better choices when it comes to products, brands and services, which is great! Due to this though, many brands see this as an opportunity to appeal to the eco conscious through their marketing and products.

When I first decided to switch to some more sustainable items for the home a few years ago, I realised quite quickly that some companies will take advantage of consumers wanting to live more sustainably and use this in their marketing. If you’re a beginner to sustainable living, it can be difficult to establish this, so I will go through this in more detail, including how to spot greenwashing when you shop.

What Does Greenwashing Mean?

Before we can go through how to spot greenwashing, it’s useful to look at what does greenwashing mean?

greenwashing Noun

behaviour or activities that make people believe that a company is doing more to protect the environment than it really is:

Examples

– The campaign was little more than greenwashing to improve the oil company’s image.

– The environmental movement has warned consumers against greenwashing, saying that when businesses use terms such as “environmentally friendly” and “green” they are often meaningless.

Dictionary Cambridge

Essentially greenwashing is a company misleading consumers that their products or service is more environmentally conscious than it actually is.

Greenwashing (a compound word modelled on “whitewash”), also called “green sheen”, is a form of marketing spin in which green PR and green marketing are deceptively used to persuade the public that an organization’s products, aims and policies are environmentally friendly.

Wikipedia

As I’ve previously mentioned, I’ve spotted so many companies greenwashing over the last few years and it makes me so angry each time I see it!

How To Spot Greenwashing

So you might be wondering how to spot greenwashing yourself? There’s a few different ways to look out for it when you are shopping and hopefully the below tips will help you to avoid greenwashing yourself.

Language

First of all it can be helpful to look at the language used on the product or service in question to assist you with how to spot greenwashing from companies.

For example the following terms could be used:

• Eco friendly
• Natural
• Biodegradable
• Recyclable
• Vegan
• Plant based

The problem with terms like eco friendly and natural is that it doesn’t really mean anything. Eco friendly can’t be proven, there isn’t a certification that the company needs in order to state ‘eco friendly’ on a product. The same applies to natural, a great example of this is Cotton. Cotton is of course a natural material, however it’s terrible for our environment because of the pesticides used during growth and it requires a lot of water as well.

Biodegradable is a term that’s used a lot as well and the issue with this is that biodegradable also doesn’t mean much in terms of sustainability. Even plastic is biodegradable but it eventually turns to microplastics. A better term to look out for would be compostable because if something is compostable then that will be either through curbside collections and if it’s home compostable then usually it will state that on the packaging as well.

100% Recyclable is another term which is problematic. When it says recyclable on a single use plastic item consumers think that this is more eco friendly but single use plastic can only be recycled a few times and often it’s cheaper for companies to produce virgin plastic than to use recycled plastic – so they go for the cheaper option. I’ve seen a lot of brands latching onto this and stating 100% recyclable like it’s the best option environmentally but single use packaging is not the best option. Don’t confuse this with made from 100% recycled plastic which is actually a great option for packaging because it is using otherwise wasted plastic.

When it comes to them using vegan and plant based on products, when it’s not a food item – this could mean that it’s made from synthetic materials which is usually plastic. When I first went vegan I remember seeing in vegan communities that if a pair of shoes for example were made from synthetic materials, then it would be vegan. So this is something that a lot of vegans will look out for. That-being-said because these items are made from plastic they are not good for our environment and it’s best to avoid buying them new.

There are other things that might be stated on packaging such as organic, unless they have a symbol like the soil association symbol then using organic doesn’t really mean anything as it can’t be proven.

Colours

Another way that companies will try to mislead consumers is to use colours and patterns that appeal to more eco conscious people. Some examples of this could be the following:

• Use of the colour green or other earth shades on their packaging or marketing
• Use of leaves, trees and plants on the marketing of the product or the packaging

Using these type of colours, fonts and even patterns to deceive consumers is so sneaky. Don’t be fooled by this greenwashing when you are looking at products and brands. Of course some genuine eco conscious brands may use similar branding but they will be able to back up their sustainable claims and that’s how to spot greenwashing when you’re shopping.

If you want to know how to be more eco friendly in everyday life, you can read my post.

What Is An Example Of Greenwashing

1. A great example of greenwashing was Coca Cola’s campaign several years ago for a supposedly ‘healthier’ coke called Life, the cans were green and everything. Fortunately the campaign did not go down well in the UK and I haven’t seen it since. Although the claims were not environmental, they were definitely trying to appeal to the more health conscious people in their marketing.
2. Here is another example of greenwashing, with the brand Love Beauty and Planet. This brand is definitely trying to give the impression that they care about the planet. I was gifted some shampoo and conditioner in this brand before and it states recyclable all over the packaging and vegan which as we’ve learned above – isn’t really important in terms of sustainability. The main issue with this brand is that they are actually owned by Unilever, which is one of the biggest plastic polluters in the world. This is a great example of greenwashing and a company hiding by a seemingly eco conscious brand. I currently have a shampoo bar (image above) which was gifted to me in this brand, I will use it of course because I dislike waste but I won’t be replacing it.
3. Another example of a misleading claim is the Free-range myth, I’ve recently been reminding of this myth by a YouTube couple that I watch Those Vegan Guys. When I was a vegetarian I used to always pick Happy Egg, free-range eggs when I was shopping and I actually thought that I was making a difference and picking the ethical choice. However, free range hens could still be packed into overcrowded barns with not much more space than the caged hens. They usually have an option to go outside but many won’t be able to, because of dominant hens being in the way of this exit. Whichever farm you are buying from, male chicks are considered a waste product from the industry (because they don’t lay eggs) and are usually crushed to death in a machine at only a day old.
4. I have another example of green washing or misleading which is from the brand Loreal, this brand loves to state on their adverts that they are cruelty free and have been for years, however this is not true because they sell their products in China (which requires animal testing by law) and this is why Loreal are not a cruelty free brand. Loreal also likes to label some of their products as vegan, I’m sure the ingredients are vegan – but vegans won’t buy it because it’s not a cruelty free brand.
5. H&M are another brand that love to mislead consumers and distract from their awful practices. They are a perfect example of greenwashing with their Conscious Collection which is said to be made from sustainable materials and their recycling bins in store for customers to return old clothes. Although using more sustainable materials and having a recycling service is great, it is a distraction from the fact that H&M are still a fast fashion brand and they care more about profits than people or planet. This article states that only 25% of the clothes recycled in the bins gets sent to H&M sorting plants at all and who knows how much of that even gets made into new clothes.

How To Avoid Greenwashing

The main ways that I have worked out how to avoid greenwashing is to investigate thoroughly before you buy anything brand new. I always look at a brands website to see if they have a sustainability report or something that states where they stand on sustainable and ethical issues.

This is just something that I do instinctively now, whether this is something that I’m looking to buy or a brand that is looking to work with me. It makes sense to only buy from brands that align with your values.

The issue is that brands know that sustainability is a hot topic and most people want to make more changes in their lives and make sustainable swaps. The biggest brands know that if they appeal to a wider audience they’ll make more money. It’s all about the profits for them so it’s so important that we be extra vigilante and research as much as we can before we buy anything. When in doubt just google it, the internet is amazing for how much information it holds on brands, products and reviews.

Usually the companies that aren’t greenwashing will be happy to share their reports and their product chain. Look out for symbols such as B Corporation Certified and Fairtrade Foundation (above) or Fairtrade Certified (if you’re in the US). Businesses that have these symbols have to do so much to prove that they’re doing what they say they are, that we can trust the symbol thoroughly.

Doing all this research can be a bit time consuming but generally I don’t buy a lot new so this hasn’t been an issue for me. There are some apps that you can use to simplify this process.

How To Avoid Greenwashing In Fashion?

For this I personally love the Good On You app, you can search for individual fashion brands and see how they are rated in terms of sustainability and ethical standards. This app is amazing, I recommend it to everyone and it’s made me realise that most high street brands in the UK are not sustainable or ethical.

How To Avoid Greenwashing In General?

Another app that you can use is the Ethy app, this is another app that uses a rating system (called accredited) so you shop more sustainably. It has badges so you can see if a product is zero waste, vegan etc. You can put your location into this app as well so it will tell you where you can shop in your area. This app is just for residents of the UK at the moment but it’s a really great resource so I hope they expand in the future.

Other than using apps, I just try to look at the language used on the packaging for products. If it sounds vague and too good to be true – then it probably is. It really does get easier over time and you can spot greenwashing a mile away.

I have been caught out in the past though, I ordered a set of bamboo makeup brushes from a seemingly eco conscious company and they ended up being delivered with each brush individually wrapped in plastic all in a plastic envelope. Sometimes you might get caught out by a business, don’t feel bad just learn from it and remember for next time.

I hope you found my post about how to spot greenwashing useful, there’s so much to remember when you try to avoid greenwashing so if you have any questions, leave me a comment.

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