How to Rinse Off Greenwash
Combat Climate Change Today
For those of you joining us for the first time, this is the Save Our Happy Place. We’re a climate action newsletter dedicated to making it easy for you to help protect the places you love from climate change. Keep reading to get access to simple & effective climate actions, sustainability, and eco-friendly lifestyle tips to make helping the planet easy.
Hey there sunshine! Welcome back to Save Our Happy Place your weekly pop of environmental and climate activism. This week we’re discussing how to sift through the green wave of “sustainable” products and make sure to support the companies doing the work to make our planet a cleaner, greener place.
When Dishonesty Is the Policy
Similarly to our planet, “green“ businesses are hot hot hot right now. I personally have felt relentlessly inundated with green packaging, “natural“ claims, and carbon-neutral promises. This is no surprise considering more than a third of global consumers are willing to pay more for environmentally-friendly alternatives, as well as sustainability made it to the top of Gartner’s list of 2023 trends.
While this is fantastic news, I mean what could be better than having more sustainable options, I urge you to proceed with thoughtfulness and caution. For every genuine sustainability claim, there is another company jumping on the bandwagon and saying whatever they feel the need to remain on-trend. This high demand for green, sustainable products has led to the unfortunate byproduct of greenwashing.
Greenwashing - Greenwashing is an unsubstantiated claim to deceive consumers into believing that a company's products are environmentally friendly or have a greater positive environmental impact than what is true.
Considering the oil and gas industry’s long history of manipulating the public around planet conservation efforts, like the effectiveness of recycling and the impacts of fossil fuels on the climate, it is no surprise that this practice has seeped into other industries simply for capitalistic gain. But if deception and misleading the public got us here, honesty and transparency can help get us out.
While greenwashing is a considerable aggravation, that is no reason to slow your efforts to create a greener life for yourself, your family, and your community. Here are a few quick tips to help identify greenwashing from the real deal. Vote with your dollar and reward companies that are being honest, transparent, and doing the work to better our planet.
How to Spot Greenwashing
1. Look for what has been done, not what they promise to do.
One of my favorite rules of thumb for spotting greenwashing and the most readily distinguishable is determining whether or not the sustainability claim is coming from the past, present, or future. If the company is talking about what they have already done and has third-party data to support that claim, there is a solid chance that they’re the real deal. If a company talks about what they are actively trying to accomplish or what they plan to accomplish by decades into the future - I’d hold off until they’ve made these promises a reality.
2. Carbon Offsetting Doesn’t Make the Product Sustainable
Carbon offset schemes allow individuals and companies to invest in environmental projects around the world in order to balance out their own carbon footprints.
A company may claim they’re offsetting its carbon footprint by donating money to clean energy projects that can range from planting trees to distributing efficient cooking stoves or capturing methane gas at landfill sites. While this sounds all well and good, at best it is a cop-out and at worst counter-productive. By allowing both companies and individuals to buy complacency and self-satisfaction, we leave room to continue living over-indulgently and continue the same practices wreaking havoc on our planet.
Finally, carbon offsetting offers no accountability to the company to innovate or shift its business models. It closes off the opportunity for the company to create something that is not only sustainable but also gives back to the planet and is regenerative. This type of overall shift is what we desperately need.
3. “Recyclable” Plastics are Generally a Scam
Relying on “recyclable” plastics as a metric for sustainability is like believing in Santa Claus. It would be absolutely wonderful if it was real. We all play along like it is real. But at the end of the day, it is a big lie meant to make us feel good.
Only 9% of plastic produced actually gets recycled. In the US, the standard recycling symbol ♻️ is put on all types of plastic whether or not recycling them is actually supported in their municipality’s facilities. Be sure to check your town’s recycling policies before you buy something specific because of its “recyclable“ packaging. Opt out of plastic whenever possible. This is of course easier said than done, but a little mindfulness in the grocery store can go a long way.
4. “Compostable“ Plastic-Like Materials Generally Only Work with Industrial Composting Facilities
Before purchasing something that looks and feels like plastic but is labeled as “compostable“ or “bioplastic“ double-check how the product should be disposed of and if you have access to that type of waste management. Many products like this need industrial composting facilities that heat the compost in order to actually break down the material. As of a 2019 survey, there are less than 100 composting facilities in the U.S. that accept all compostable materials including bioplastics.
If the product is compatible with garden composting, that is much more accessible. But it doesn’t mean that you can through away the product and that it will biodegrade in a landfill. The composting process is required for breakdown.
5. Lack of Transparency is a Red Flag
If a product, brand, or service has an environmental or sustainability story to tell, they will. You won’t struggle to find it. If you just can’t seem to locate their sustainability information, take that as a red flag. Companies that don’t have a good story to tell or have something to hide, will make it hard for you to find their eco-credentials. This is not the place to assume the best in people.
6. Green Marketing Isn’t Enough - Look for Trusted Certifications
Anyone can make their branding green or use baseless and unverifiable claims like “eco-friendly“ or “natural“. Seek out products with trusted third-party certifications, such as USDA-certified organic, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), and Carbon Trust Standard (for verified CO2 emissions).
Some Rays of Sunshine
The Headlines We’re Happy to See
Vanuatu, a Pacific Island nation, makes a bold call for a global treaty to phase out fossil fuels. - Read More
Survey reveals meat consumption is declining across Western Europe. - Read More
A huge marine reserve in the Pacific Ocean has led to the recovery of tuna and other migratory fish around its borders. - Read More
Munich Re, the world's largest reinsurer, announced stricter policies for investing in and underwriting oil and gas projects. - Read More
Nearly 150 Spanish cities to roll low-emission zones in 2023. - Read More
Excellent piece filled with great information—we all have to spend a few more minutes to be discerning about our purchases...and try to purchase less overall. Thanks as always!
Great piece.