greenwashing presentation2

GreenwashingDeceptive eco-advertising and its prevalence in the home appliance industry.

What s Greenwashing?Deceptive or misleading advertisingDesigned to make products appear more Eco-Friendly

The History of GreenwashingThe term first appeared in the 1970sCoined by Jay WesterfieldCombination of green and whitewashBegan in response to the 1960s environmental movement

Greenpeaces Greenwash CriteriaDirty BusinessAd BlusterPolitical SpinIts the Law, Stupid!

The Seven Sins of GreenwashingSin of the Hidden Trade-offSin of No ProofSin of VaguenessSin of Worshipping False LabelsSin of IrrelevanceSin of The Lesser of Two EvilsSin of Fibbing

Sin of The Hidden Trade-OffClaiming that a product is green based on a narrow set of attributes, while ignoring others.Example: O.B. Claims their tampons will save one pound of waste per woman, but do not factor in the chemicals used to manufacture them.

Sin of No ProofA claim about a product that cant be supported by evidenceExample: Diapers claiming to contain a certain % of recycled materials.

Sin of VaguenessA claim that is too broad or not legally definedExample: All-Natural products

Sin of Worshipping False LabelsCompanies that create fake 3rd-Part endorsementsExample: Magazines paid to evaluate products

Sin of Irrelevance A claim that may be truthful but is unhelpfulExample: CFC-Free

Sin of the Lesser of Two EvilsA product that is only green in comparison to other products in the categoryExample: Organic Cigarettes

Sin of FibbingOutright liesExample: Companies falsely claiming to be energy-star certified

Genuine Green Labels

Home AppliancesRefrigerators, Washers, Toaster, Air Conditioners.....We all have themHard/Impossible to Realize Greenwashing

Example 1: SamsungRead everything carefullyDon't believe everything you read or seeSymbols don't always mean somethingEvery Award is different

Example 2: LGResearchCompare Multiple TestsDon't believe what they sayLook into the history of the company, were they caught before?

Example 3: GEPromises are promises, nothing moreMoney means nothing, I can markup anythingCompanies don't need to give you the whole story. They can leave parts out that make huge differences.

Lowes-- Improving Homes?

Selling Greenwashed products is only fueling the Greenwashing epidemicNeeds to Re-think Objectives

Honest AND Eco-Friendly

Adopt policy of honestyShare information on true green appliances and their companiesFocus advertising on just those products

Benefits Reassure customers

Improve sales

Better the image of the company for the future