5.3. Keeping it real
Takeaways 5.3
In a nutshell
Check, clarify and challenge all your marketing claims.
If anything doesn’t pass the test - change it.
What is greenwashing?
Greenwashing can range from brands making minor mistakes to companies that might, for example, be involved with fossil fuels or deforestation, using misleading claims to make their product look ‘greener’.
The term greenwashing was reportedly first used by an American environmentalist and researcher called Jay Westerveld. In 1986 he visited a beach resort in Samoa and was dismayed by them claiming that their innovative adoption of a reusable towel service was a way to save the environment. It was a classic overclaim – particularly since the resort was ambitiously expanding right next door in a highly non-environmentally-friendly way.
Ways to identify greenwashing
- Brands use words to mislead, but also visuals and graphics.
- Green claims are often deliberately vague (and therefore unprovable). Many are overstatements or exaggerations about how environmentally friendly the product, company or service is.
- Sometimes brands simply leave out or mask important information, using selective transparency and making the claim sound far better than it is.
- One tactic is to use pseudo-scientific terms such as Eco or Bio – they sound impressive, but in many cases are essentially meaningless.
With increased consumer scrutiny, more and more businesses are now being exposed for greenwashing.
Standards and codes
In 2022, the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) in the UK introduced its Green Claims Code to help combat greenwashing. To avoid investigation, companies must be able to answer Yes to a series of questions including:
- Are your claims clear and unambiguous?
- Do they only make fair and meaningful comparisons?
- Have you substantiated your claims?
For more details, visit the government’s Green Claims Campaign website.
The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has also published new rules and guidance about misleading environmental advertising. For more details visit the ASA’s page on advertising rules that apply to environmental and climate-based ads.
Check, clarify, challenge, change
No one wants a marketing manager who doesn’t believe their product is great. And it is natural for people to have an over-inflated or less than objective view of their own brands, products or services. Especially in the marketing department who spend all day, every day talking about their brand.
But are the marketers always the villains here?
There are certainly many examples of premeditated and well-orchestrated greenwashing. But might it also sometimes simply be a case of over-enthusiasm - grabbing at claims, trends and terminology that they know their customers want to hear?
Some simple cross-examination early on can flush out the dubious, the doubtful, and the delusional.
Marketing claim cross-examination
Some simple cross-examination early on can flush out the dubious, the doubtful, and the delusional.
This framework (from The Sustainable Business Book, Duncan & Duncan) can help anyone interrogate a proposed marketing claim. It encourages communicators to look at it from a legal perspective (Legally, can we say this?) and a moral perspective (Okay, but morally, should we say this?)
If in any doubt, you need to:
- Check the facts.
- Clarify the details.
- Challenge like your greenest customer.
- Change where necessary.
more info on 5.3
Want to know more?
For more on communicating and marketing your sustainability efforts, why not review our Guide to communicating sustainability for tourism businesses, written by Transforming Travel author, Jeremy Smith.
