How to avoid greenwash: Why marketers must present their sustainability credentials in an honest and transparent way.
Brands’ rush to highlight their environmental credentials in recent times has had the unfortunate side effect of spawning the practice known as ‘greenwash’.
Greenwash can be defined as any activity undertaken by brands that makes them appear greener than they actually are. In an age where consumers expect companies to make serious efforts to tackle climate change, to be seen to be greenwashing can be hugely damaging.
Whether it is a deliberate attempt to deceive, or an honest case of over-simplification, misleading communication will be judged harshly by the army of green campaigners who keenly scrutinise brand activity in this area.
A press ad run by Shell in 2007 is one of the most high-profile campaigns to have attracted the greenwash label. The oil giant claimed it used ‘waste CO2 to grow flowers’ in a campaign that showed an animated factory with chimneys emitting flowers.
In reality, only 0.325% of Shell’s CO2 is used in this way and the ad was subsequently banned by the Advertising Standards Authority after just a single complaint from Friends of the Earth.
Neil Golightly, the vice president of downstream communication at Shell, admits that his company should have been clearer. He says that of all the forms of marketing, from social media and PR through to face-to-face meetings, advertising is ‘where we are most vulnerable to accusations of greenwashing’.
Golightly says the experience has not scared off Shell from using advertising to communicate its sustainability work, but he says more attention is now paid to the tone of voice used in the company’s ads.
Chris Arnold, author of Ethical Marketing and The New Consumer and creative partner at agency Creative Orchestra, recommends that any brands attempting to run a green-themed campaign should ask themselves why they are advertising their ‘greenness’ in the first place and be sure it will resonate with their customer base.
‘Do they care? Will they believe you? Or have you fallen into the trap a lot of companies have fallen into and are just jumping on the green bandwagon,’ he says.
‘The general advice I give is be honest,’ Arnold adds. ‘Work with green organisations to support your claims and employ experts to advise you.’
The starting point for green marketing has to be authenticity, credibility and honesty. If marketers find that the planned activity is not ticking these boxes then it is time to return to the drawing board or run the risk of ruining their brands’ hard-earned reputation.
By Gemma Charles
