Greenwashing Marketing: How to Spot the Growing Issue that No One Actually Talks About

You’re out of your favorite coffee, so you go to the store to buy some more and notice the label that stands out because it says “eco-friendly.”

Great! So you buy it and carry on with your day feeling good about your consumer conscious purchase. But is it really eco friendly? How do you know?

If you haven’t heard of the term Greenwashing before, it’s time. But what does it mean? And what does greenwashing have to do with marketing? 

What does Greenwashing Marketing efforts mean? 

Basically, greenwashing is conveying false information about how environmentally friendly a company’s products are.

Or, when a company overstates how eco friendly they are to try and cover up other not so great things they’re doing to the environment. It’s lying. 

Greenwashing Marketing usually happens when a marketing team wants their product to appeal to an environmentally conscious target market, and actually happens all the time with consumer goods.

So, how do you spot it? 

Do a quick Google Search to see if there’s evidence to back up the label’s claims. 

If you’re looking for eco-friendly products, you’re going to want to focus on looking for facts rather than claims. Basically, you want to make sure the packaging’s claims are backed up by actual data. 

This can be determined by looking on their website to see if they have any tangible information as to how they’re measuring their environmental impact.

If you can’t find that, that means they’re probably using greenwashing marketing tactics in their campaign.

How many times have you seen, “made from real ingredients?” Ask yourself, what is a “real ingredient,” anyway? 

Since there’s no established definition of a “real ingredient,” pretty much any corporation can make that claim without having any third party certification or approval.

Always fact check, it'll only take a couple minutes. Do not just take their word for it.

Don’t let the colors fool you. 

It might sound obvious, but just because a label is green or shows plants and happy animals does not mean the making of that product is sustainable or kind to animals. 

These are referred to as green visuals and are simple tactics that companies do to get consumers who are in a hurry buying their greenwashed products.

People want to feel good about what they buy, companies know this and take advantage of it. 

In fact, this is extremely common, and one of the most prevalent tactics used in greenwashing marketing campaigns. Don’t fall for it!

If you see an appealing product with green labeling, take a look at the ingredients on the back. Unless you’re a chemistry expert, don’t be afraid to look them up and see what they are.

Generally speaking, if you can’t pronounce the ingredient yourself it's probably a good idea to do a quick search. 

As of 2022, there are no regulations as to what imagery can be used on packaging, so it’s usually a good idea to always do a quick read of the ingredients label. 

Get familiar with legitimate environmental certifications.

Unfortunately, another tactic used for greenwashing marketing campaigns in marketing involves labels that look like third party endorsements, but are made up.

For this reason, it’s a great idea to get familiar with some actual third party labels who do genuine evaluations.

This will also help you notice if there is a slightly altered version of this logo on a product, and you’ll know that the company's marketing team has greenwashed that item. 

To name a few, USDA Organic is a government organization with strict criteria used to evaluate consumable goods. You can read more about this criteria here.

The Green Seal is a nonprofit that checks a variety of consumer products, and has rigorous standards for health, product performance, and sustainability before granting their certification. You can read more about their criteria here.

The Non GMO project is a nonprofit focused strictly on GMO certifications in food and education. You can read more about their product verification here.

There are other legitimate certifications as well, such as PETA’s cruelty free certification which is common in makeup and skincare products.

The logos here are just three of the most common. With that in mind, now that you know what they look like. If you see a morphed version of one of these on a label it's probably fake. 
 

What’s the takeaway? Do your research!

All in all, it’s super important to be educated about these issues as a consumer. Next time you go shopping, you’ll have some key things in your back pocket to look out for before purchasing your “eco friendly” product. 

As a quick recap: 

1. Do your research!
2. Don’t let the colors fool you!
3. Get familiar with legitimate environmental certifications!

And if you’re a marketer, don’t greenwash. Greenwashing marketing campaigns are not cool. It also damages your brand’s credibility… And can quickly blossom into a PR disaster. You probably don't want that.

✍️ Written by Emma Wihtol