Seven sins of Greenwashing Kauri

Hoewitwastgroen?

DegroeneenergievanElectrabelineenanderlicht

Whatintheworldcanwechangeforyou?

Ewoud Monbaliu - Change Designer

[email protected] www.changedesigners.be

Stefaan Vandist – Strategic Planner

[email protected] www.trinity-planning.be

Watvoorafgaat

Hetisjouwenergie

Context

•  2007:ElectrabelligtondervuurvanNGO’senconsumenten

UitgangspuntenmarkeIng

•  LegiImiteitiseenmustvoordemarktleider•  Electrabelisnietgroen•  Spanning

– Burgers:algemeenbelang– Consumenten:hetbestevooreigenbelang

•  Hoeduurzaamheidgebruikenomdebandmetdeconsumentaantehalen?

PosiIoneringAleadercaringforthefuture

Electrabelisnietgroen,maareenbedrijfdathaarklantenwilbetrekkenineenproject

VanGreenmarkeIngnaarGreenwashing

7 sins of Greenwashing Wat? Waarom? Waarom niet? En hoe te vermijden?

Hallo, op welke verdieping zit je?

1.ViewingcomplianceasopportunityanIcipateregulaIons

2.MakingvaluechainssustainableLCA–opImizingtheboVom‐line

3.DesigningsustainableProductsandservices(re)designsustainableofferings

4.Developingnewbusinessmodelsfindingnovelwaysofdeliveringandcapturingvalue

5.CreaIngNext‐PracIcePla_ormsblowthetake‐make‐wastelogic

‐1.Pretending

‐2.Denial

What is Greenwashing?

Green·wash (grēn'wŏsh', -

wôsh') “verb: the act of misleading consumers regarding practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or

service.”

1

GreenwashismisleadingthepublicbystressingenvironmentalcredenIalsofa

person,aproductoranorganizaIonwhentheseareunfoundedorirrelevant

2

GreenwashisanenvironmentalclaimwhichisunsubstanIated(afib)or

irrelevant(adistracIon)

3

It’sgreenwashingwhenacompanyororganizaIonspendsmoreImeandmoneyclaimingtobe

“green”throughadverIsingandmarkeIngthanactuallyimplemenIngbusinesspracIcesthat

minimizeenvironmentalimpact.

Why does greenwashing happen?

1

changingbuyingpaVernsinconsumermarkets

Smallestofniches

1/33

Verydesirablemarket,settogrow

1/3

CULTURALCREATIVES|LOHAS|NEWWORLD’S|BLUEGREEN’S|POSITIVECHOSERS...

Theyareallhigh‐educated,involved,acIve,merelyurban,doubleincome,early‐adapIng,...And

marketersarestarvingtogetthem

“Green is a new sort of ‘good manners’”

There is greenwashing, because we’ve passed a tipping point. Which is good

2

OureducaIon:we’remoIvatedtotellthestory

inthemostbeauIfulway

Isn’t this how you would think of advertising milk?

The risk is that same can happen with greenvertising. Sometimes we cannot blame ourselves

Making things look nice is our nature

Why all the fuss? Why is that so bad?

•  MorecomplaintsagainstadverIsing•  UnderminingconfidenceinadverIsing•  Sabotageofenvironmentalmovementinbusiness

•  Honestly…Itissimplyannoying•  BadpressaVenIon•  DecreasingemployermoIvaIon

•  Decreasinggoodwillofstrategicstakeholders•  Andlastbutnotleast…

Youdon’twantthiskindofcircus

onyourdoorstep

But most important

2 ways you can avoid greenwashing

1

SIcktotheMAINPRINCIPLEofGreenverIsing:

“Green Marke*ng is not about making

normal things seem green (greenwashing),

it is about making green stuff seem normal”

2

Beawareofthe

“seven sins of Greenwashing”:

Cutoutandkeep

1. ThesinofsuggesIvepictures2. Thesinofthehiddentradeoff3. Thesinofnoproof4. Thesinofvagueness5. Thesinofirrelevance6. Thesinoflesseroftwoevils7. Thesinoffibbing

1

ThesinofsuggesIvepictures:

Green images that indicate a (un‐jus*fied) green impact,

likeflowersbloomingfromexhaustpipes

2Thesinofthehiddentradeoff:Sugges*on of being Green, based on a single

environmental aDribute, while blurring all other parameters which are maybe more

important, likeaHummerthatisclaimingthatitisa

Hybrid

Stroommetgroenestrikisnoggeengroenestroom

4%

3

Thesinofnoproof

Claims that could be right, but are not supported by any evidence, or by any reliable third‐

party cer*fica*on,

likeHouseholdlampsthatpromotetheirenergyefficiencywithoutanysupporIngfiguresor

cerIficaIon.

4Thesinofvagueness

Claims that are expressed with fluffy language with no clear meaning ,

like‘planet‐friendly’packaging

5

Thesinofirrelevanceenvironmental claims that are redundant and

unimportant for customers

seeking environmentally preferable products. It

is irrelevant and therefore distracts the

consumer from finding a truly greener op*on.

Like‘unleadedfuel(allfuelinEuropeisunleaded)…

6

ThesinoflesseroftwoevilsThese are “green” claims that may be true within

the product category, but that risk

distrac*ng the consumer from the greater

Health‐ or other nega*ve

impacts of the category as a whole

LikeorganiccigareVes

Debat? 2.0? Open? Forum?

7

Thesinoffibbing

out‐right lying, and produce

totally fabricated claims or data

Likedrivingclimateneutral

Relocate dreams | Frame ambitions | Deliver with true milestones

| Be open, be true

ThanksforyouraVenIon!

Ewoud Monbaliu - Change Designer

[email protected] www.changedesigners.be

Stefaan Vandist – Strategic Planner

[email protected] www.trinity-planning.be

Seven sins of Greenwashing Kauri

Business

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