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Climate Action

Preventing greenwashing, one company at a time

With the rise of envrionmental awareness among businesses and shopper alike comes a rise of greenwashing - intentional or not

  • 12 August 2009
  • Simione Talanoa

With the rise of environmental awareness among businesses and shoppers alike comes a rise of greenwashing -- intentional or not.
 
In the U.K., complaints about greenwashing have been rapidly climbing for some time, and one study found that almost all companies had committed at least one of the seven sins of greenwashing.

But a new report from Business for Social Responsibility and Futerra Sustainability Communications aims to help companies avoid those mistakes.

The new report, "Understanding and Preventing Greenwash: A Business Guide," lays out a "greenwash matrix" of the different types of poor communication about corporate environmental activities, and explores the ways firms can move toward messages that more clearly explain their green works.

"[Shoppers] want to trust the company from which they are buying goods and services, and honest communications are key," said Diane Osgood, BSR's Vice President of CSR Strategy, in a statement.

"Our guide helps companies curtail greenwash and build the trust of consumers."

There are three elements to a framework for effective communications, according to the report: Impact, Alignment and Communication.

Under the impact header, avoiding greenwash means a company's sustainability practices or products must be based on real, significant environmental impact.

In other words, if a company is spending more on communications about their green projects than the green project itself, it's a likely sign of greenwashing.

To properly align a green project, companies need to make sure there is significant internal and external support for the practice.

BSR and Futerra recommend working with a credible third party to impartially evaluate the impact of any green activity.

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Source: Greenbiz