I’ve been in sustainability/purpose long enough to witness the growth of ‘greenwashing’ infect marketing, but also to develop some ‘immunity boosting’ strategies against it. My greenwash inoculations are needed more than ever with the heavy hand of regulation about to drop on unsubstantiated eco claims. Right at the moment when more consumers than ever want to know you’re taking issues like climate, plastic and pollution seriously. It’s time to make marketing that matters.
While greenwash can be traced back many decades, the term itself was coined by environmentalist Jay Westervelt in the 1980’s after spotting a fancy, fast-expanding hotel in Fiji asking guests to reuse their towels to reduce damage to marine life. That noble plea hid that the hotel’s construction was devastating local ecosystems and ”it all came out in the greenwash”.
At the same time, oil company Chevron’s ‘People Do’ campaign was all over American TV screens, claiming the company’s dedication to protecting cute endangered species. Criticism came thick and fast, and the new term ‘greenwash’ had lift off. It would soon be levied at DuPont, for their 1991 ad showing seals clapping and dolphins leaping in apparent applause for the company’s environmental initiatives. I recommend searching out that one online, it makes for toe-curling viewing.
The hard truth is that business greenwashes – intentionally or otherwise – because green sells. This was true back in the early 1990s, when 77% of Americans polled said that a corporation’s environmental reputation affected what they bought. And it’s even more true now: my firm, Futerra, conducted research that showed that 88% of people in the US and UK want brands to help them be more environmentally friendly and ethical in their daily lives.
It’s taken a while for regulators to catch up. But the last couple of years have seen an explosion of new laws and limitations that attempt to keep a (much-needed) handle on how businesses talk about their environmental credentials:
● In a landmark move, the EU Parliament has just adopted a law that will – amongst other things – ban businesses from making misleading or unsubstantiated green claims, such as ‘eco-friendly’, ‘environmentally friendly’, ‘natural’, ‘recycled’ and ‘biodegradable’. Claims to be ‘carbon-neutral’ won’t be allowed if they rely on carbon offsetting, and claims about a product’s durability will need to be realistic. These terms aren’t entirely off-limits, but you better be confident in your proof.
● Across Europe, advertising for fossil fuels are being outright banned: in France, Amsterdam, Somerset and most recently Stockholm. I predicted this trend years ago and anticipate oil & gas ads will go the way of tobacco.
● In the UK, the Advertising Standards Authority has just banned an ad from Toyota that promotes their environmentally-damaging SUV using the imagery of thriving forests and rivers. Background imagery and ‘implied’ environmental good is under the spotlight, not just specific claims.
● In Australia, the Australian Association of National Advertisers has proposed tightened regulations on advertising green claims, including the need for evidence and a ban on vague or misleading claims.
And the onus isn’t just on brands. Increasingly, ad agencies are being forced to acknowledge their role in perpetuating climate harm – the UN-backed Race to Zero, for example, now invites agencies to reveal their clients and take reponsbiluty for ‘advertised carbon’ impacts. And expectations on transparency are only growing, with initiatives like France’s Publicité Responsable inviting companies to sign a public ‘responsible marketing contract’.
The demand for sustainability and purpose marketing will only grow as eco-anxious Gen Z and Alpha generations grow, but the issues aren’t easy, and consequences severe.
So what’s a marketer to do?
My assumption is that you’re an honest marketer with an honest product. (If you’re looking for tips on getting round the rules – you’re in the wrong place!). But even with good intentions, anyone can greenwash inadvertently. This is the most important thing to remember: most greenwash is a mistake made by good marketers, not malicious attempts to mislead.
Morality is no protection against mistakes.
So the first and most important thing you can do is learn the regulations inside out. Look at the latest rules in your own country, and keep an eye on regulations emerging worldwide – it’s worth seeing the whole picture, to know where things are headed. Invest time, and hire experts, so that you and your team can stay up to date on these fast-changing rules. And test your agencies knowledge of the latest regs.
But, the best prevention of greenwash isn’t just knowing rules: it’s about shifting your approach to making ‘claims’ in the first place.
A claims mindset places your feet on the road to greenwash. You’re already primed to it, trying to burnish your product/brand, trying to ‘take’ something. Seeking environmental claims are the same extractive approach that causes environmental problems in the first place.
What if you stopped asking your consumers to applaud what you’re doing. Most people don’t like doing that anyway. Stop heroing your brand, and start heroing the people who matter: your consumer.
The very best sustainability marketing isn’t about you, it’s about the impact your consumer is making. She’s the hero.
Take Renault’s ad for their electric ZOE car. The real residents of Appy, a remote French village, make their first foray into driving an electric car, despite their uncertainties (“will it climb the hill?”) – and become the first village where everyone drives electric. The residents – a father with his teenage daughter, an outdoorsy family, a man who works at the stone quarry – are the main characters in the story, the journey towards sustainability is their own.
Or IKEA’s ‘Climate Action Starts at Home’ campaign, which opens: ‘you have the power to make a difference from the moment you wake up’. The film shows how IKEA’s products can help you to waste less food, use less water, minimise your electricity use – and celebrates the impact of these choices, not the green specs of each product.
Any human being is more interested in a story that casts them as the hero, and not a faceless brand. So help your customer be a sustainability hero. Show them the difference their choice is making; celebrate how they have prevented kilograms of plastic or carbon from harming the planet. Stop claiming and start helping.
Make your sustainability marketing about what really matters: making sustainable choices accessible and exciting for everyone, everywhere.
