Have you ever heard about ‘greeenwashing’? Cambridge Online Dictionary defines it as making “people believe that your company is doing more to protect the environment than it really is”. It is the new trend in the world of marketing and PR with companies using ‘green’ words on their products, campaigns, and image. For today’s post, I’ll focus on big companies and famous personalities such as Google, Jeff Bezos and Amazon, and Canada (I know it’s a country but those have an image too).
I’ve always felt upset when in the supermarket shopping I’ve had to go through a variety of products labeled as organic, eco-friendly, sustainable… And the list goes on. It is annoying because few brands are truly committed to the cause of environmental sustainability but can still profit from labeling their products as such. Overly priced items that cover up for companies that do not prove to customers that they actually do their best for the environment. Exactly in the same line are major players such as Jeff Bezos.
I was alerted to Jeff’s hypocrisy through a blog post by activist Emily Atkin where she calls out Jeff Bezos on his (fake) pledge. Bezos, the owner of Amazon company and richest man on Earth used social media to make a climate pledge (in late February) where he announced that a large monetary fund would be made available to fight against climate change. It’s now October, eight months later, and no money has been disbursed. Bezos’s and Amazon’s image as sustainable persons has seen a positive boost though. Those who use social media had wide access to the misleading news and thus view the company better. Few were the social media users that kept track of what was announced. If it were not for Emily Atkin and others ringing the bell, I would be none the wiser too.
One of social media’s best and worst features is how fast everything happens. No matter how shocking the news, in few days – even hours – something even newer and more shocking will start trending. Since it is that way, it makes sense that players interested in an instant image boost would show no restraint in publicly making pledges for ‘clout’ but in no way enforcing them since the follow up and accountability is almost null.
Greenpeace and other climate activists speak out and alert the public but in an ocean of news, fake news, misinformation and cute cat videos, it gets lost. It is another sort of fake labelling but in a major scale since Google, Amazon and Facebook have enormous reach and profit immensely from this greenwashing and from people’s implicit trust in the verity of their claims.
I don’t appreciate being lied to for someone else to look good or make money out of me. I would much prefer companies to put their money where their mouths are and be truly sustainable. How do you feel about greenwashing? Do you have any other examples of fake climate pledges you’d like to share with The New Media Times? Tell us something in the comments and we’ll do our best to answer.
Talk to you soon!
