Even when the obvious overrated environmental claims abuse the green ideologist inside of me, the pragmatist who meets the ideologist regularly found some benefits to what green experts Steve Ashkin and Scot Case call greenwashing and blame manufacturers and marketers for bringing confusion in the buyers mind, and a practice Joel Makower sees as – mainly – sloppy marketing (see previous post).

I have pondered over this and left it to rest for a bit, until I found more and more people asking where could they find green brand X, environmentally-friendly brand Y or kids friendly brand Z, none of them being a green leader (as being much less resource intensive, being completely recyclable/ bio compostable, using only natural ingredients, being safe and so on), and at the opposite using green and the environment as a selling point without having the corresponding environmental benefits. I fell into a cloud of skepticism and while my mood was darkening by the minute, I had an epiphany.

There is actually some hope. Passed the frustration of seeing a major manufacturer launching a new green brand – not that green – and taking the opportunity of this launch to claim that their other products are safe and there is no green brand out there people trust (sic), I’m actually starting to think that there is some benefits to even the most deceiving green marketing claim. Why someone like me is feeling this way? Because I need to! But also because I believe that it adds to the green buzz, and that might act as a catalyst to some who are starting to look at green with different eyes and are ready to take action. It has to do with how mature one is with green and environmentally-friendly practices and products inside a specific market that has a relatively long history of green successes and failures (I know you know what I am talking about). Those big brands are right about something: trust goes a long way.

1- You are a green purist … refer to the last sentence of the next paragraph. And by the way, you are even smaller than a minority, but don’t worry, your moment of glory will come (“I told you so”).

2- If you are environmentally-conscious, would you switch from green brand A (the real true green brand) to the newly launched or repackaged 99% natural brand X? Even if you could save a buck? Probably not. You have done your own research, you feel in sync with your purchase, and do not feel, for now, the need to question it. Plus you need to be convinced brand X has real environmental benefits, and then it should have at least as many as brand A. And, anyway, you’re in a minority, so let’s not spend too much time on you, you are not the intended audience.

3- You feel preserving the environment and our natural resources is important, but you definitely do not want to sacrifice the effectiveness of the product’s primary function over environmental issues. You’re already recycling your household waste, you bought some CFL for the doorway and the bathroom, replace every dead appliances with energy saving ones. You are the target audience the marketers of brand X are trying to reach. So, new brand X product is appealing to you. You might actually try it and see if it is as efficient as your current old brand. And then one day, you might actually be engaged in a conversation about the good things you do to preserve the environment and share your latest experience with brand X. And someone will tell you about this green product that works really well, or about Earth Day. You should bring the kids.

4- You feel somewhat sad and sorry for all these species that you only saw on TV and will now only exist on film. Yes, the icecap is melting quickly, but you live faraway from the seashore. And you do not feel convince your choice will make any difference. But deep inside, if you could do something, it would make you feel good, wouldn’t it? You are also part of that target audience. And even if you won’t explore further the land of green products, you might actually enjoy using it. Who knows, deep inside, it might have started a revolution and you might be more inclined to try other green products in other product categories.

5- You’ve always thought green products were bogus. No matter what, they do not work, so why bother? Who knows about green brand A or B? Nobody! You enjoy the smell of new or clean or that particular taste, even if it is not real. The kids love it too, and giving the kids what they like means a moment in heaven … peace of mind. You tend to buy what mom or pop have always been buying, question of trust. But then, kids come home with new insights: the climate crisis is real, you’ve got to do your share to protect the environment. Brand X is manufactured by a trusted source, and that source is saying it’s important to care for the environment. Good, you are not completely convinced but you’ll give it a try. And perhaps your consciousness will rise to new environmental heights, a sustainability seminar at work for instance.

6- No matter what everybody says, you don’t buy it. You’re in a minority and you ignore the facts. That minority will become extinct and will not have its moment of glory. Nothing can do it for you. So long.

So in other words, greenwashing is a deceitful marketing practice but it could – not in extreme cases – be actually beneficial in raising the environmental awareness of consumers. For instance, green cleaning and maintenance supplies represent 2 to 3% of the actual market, the launch of a new brand by a big manufacturer will help gain market awareness and acceptance for these products by convincing more people that green actually works (Oh my God, I said it!!!!). When a giant retail store puts sustainability to work, that speaks more than most ecologists could ever do according to Adam Werbach.
Do I believe in what I just wrote? Better ask the pragmatist: it should not stop us from exposing their practices when they are a threat to our health and the environment. And the idealist? They should do better.

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