The Greenwashing Threshold

Katie McGuigan | @knmcguigan

At a time where brand transparency is vital to building long-lasting customer relationships brands are constantly working to connect with their consumer’s values. And as environmental health continues to be a growing concern, companies are simultaneously trying to align their values by becoming “environmentally conscious brands.”

Enter greenwashing. Greenwashing is deceitful tactic used in company advertising to make their brand appear more environmentally conscious or green than they actually are. As brands become increasingly dishonest it is more difficult for the consumer to decipher which brands truly embody their values. So when is a company greenwashing? And when is a company truly working to uphold its ethics?

When General Electric launched their Ecomagination campaign in 2005 they vowed to find technological solutions that save money and reduce environmental impact for customers and their own operations. Although the campaign was claiming to be environmentally friendly, it received a huge backlash from the public and was ranked one of the top greenwashing campaigns by online greenwashing indexes.

One of the major reasons GE has faced large backlashes is because their claim to environmental integrity did not match their actions. As GE launched their Ecoimagination campaign, they were simultaneously working within the legal system to stall water cleanup fees after releasing hazardous waste into water systems.

The bottom line is, in order to regain the trust of the environmentally-conscious public GE needs to make serious effort to restructure their policy, and practice what they preach. No level of social media presence and environmental initiative funding will compensate for the dishonesty GE displays through their “greenwashed” advertising.

On the other end of the spectrum from GE is Patagonia. Patagonia has built their company values on their mission to provide long-lasting, quality materials that are consciously sourced. Patagonia has launched multiple campaigns including; Common Thread, Don’t Buy This Jacket, and
The Footprint Chronicles. All of these campaigns encourage customers to participate in Patagonia through the good, the bad, and the ugly. In these campaigns Patagonia educates their consumer about the environmentally conscious decision their company makes, along with the problems they experience while working to uphold their brand’s integrity.

Few have been able to criticize Patagonia of greenwashing because they Patagonia is genuinely working to create environmentally conscious consumers. In their campaigns Patagonia acknowledges the hypocrisy of a large corporation claiming to be earth-friendly. However, Patagonia is transparent. They acknowledge their flaws and continue working to build strong relationships with their consumer.

The most important thing for brands to keep in mind while building earth friendly campaigns is their own impact on the environment. By owning up to the mistakes or problems that the company has made, or is currently making, they can build a trusting relationship with their customer. And this doesn’t happen overnight. It takes action for a company’s values  to become authentic, and from there they can build meaningful relationships with the consumer.

-Katie McGuigan