Green Business Awareness

Greenwashing is in vogue, and most businesses find Green hype to be a convenient marketing tool.   The majority of businesses are so anxious to capture the positive public opinion as an environmentally-conscious company that they are willing to grasp at any option.  The reason that this is so prevalent is that there seems to be no true standard for the meaning of Green.  Without some standard for a Green operation, nearly anything will qualify for a Green pretense.

Perhaps one of the more laughable and sad offerings for Green certification are the Internet sites that offer a well-designed logo for a fee and an unreliable self-assessment form to be completed.  Could anything be more blatant and embarrassing when the public looks into the certification?  There is no criteria for these websites.  It seems that a chemical dumping company could pay the fee, complete the forms (while lying), and get the same logo found on your store or business.  Is having very low standards any better than having no standards?

The mindset that believes that a company can Go Green on its own merits is also missing the point.  Even the best company claiming to be Green is on the same ground as the company that is heavily greenwashed.  How does the public distinguish between two companies that are boasting of their Green qualities when one is lying and the other is trying?  They can’t, and the growing perception is that most Green claims are purely marketing ploys continues to grow.

There is a loyal following of people who will drive an extra mile and pay an extra dollar to patronize a Green business.  The number of people willing to frequent Green programs is growing.  That is because there is a maturing of the consumer, and they now know more about such subjects as greenwashing and how it works.  If they find that your company follows the same path of Green hype and false Green associations, it will cause a very unwelcome backlash.

There is frankly only one way to completely defeat any question of greenwashing.  Companies that are willing to comply with a standard of Green practices and go through a certification process by a true independent third party demonstrate a Green integrity that cannot be questioned.  Certification, however, does require honest environmental improvements, independent audits or those improvements, and an unbiased review of the progress for certification.  This is not found anywhere else than by such programs as the Green Business League.

The Green Business League has more than 250 Certified Green Consultants nationwide who are able to assist, review, and eventually certify any Green business that earns 100 points by properly installing basic Green practices into the daily operation.  Businesses need not own the building as required by a LEED certification.  Because the focus is on Green practices, businesses that rent, lease, or own can eventually earn their GBL Green Business Certification.  Yes, every business needs to be Green, and it seems inevitable that all businesses will join the effort.  Since this seems to be the right things to do, doesn’t it make sense to do it right?

Since the beginning, we have understood that there is a great deal of leeway given to those who tout their products or services.  This has likely been around from the earliest times when merchants came to town to sell their wares.  And, the public is not ignorant about the hype process that precedes the sale of nearly everything.  We are not pleased with the snake oil salesman, but frankly we like to be charmed by what he has to say.  Recently, a show called “Pitchmen” relates how people get an idea to market where we learn that how you present is frankly more important than the product itself.

Greenwashing at its best is hype or overexaggeration of the benefits of the product.  At its worse, greenwashing is a premeditated and intentional desire to mislead people knowing that the product or service is not as represented.   Wikipedia defines Greenwashing as “Greenwash (a portmanteau of green and whitewash) is a term used to describe the practice of companies disingenuously spinning their products and policies as environmentally friendly, such as by presenting cost cuts as reductions in use of resources.”  This might pass as a form of “Business as Usual” in the advertising marketplace except that the underlying issue of health impact and environmental concerns make this misrepresentation worse than innocent deception.

How is Green washing done?  Let me offer 10 ways a product or service is Greenwashed:

1- Green Misdirection:  Ignore the real issue and divert attention to the “other things” that are better.  For example, Fiji bottled water operates out of a LEED silver certified building, though they transport the water more than 4000 to the US, put it in plastic bottles, and ship it again throughout the country.

2- Green by Proxy:  Do what Clorox did, since bleach is not a Green product, they bought out Greenworks and now they hail their Green contribution.  Green by Proxy is buying someone else’s Green solution without really changing the way you operate.

3- The Green Dumb Down:  Why not produce the every same product that has been diluted or slightly altered and slap a Green label on it?   Dilution of harmful ingredients does not make a product Green.

4- Charitably Green:  Tout the fact that a few pennies from every purchase (of an otherwise non-Green product) will be given to a Green charity.

5- Token Green:  This process is defined as doing the minimum that can be done to make something Green.  So, a hotel can put in CFL bulbs and declare that they are Green although there is so much more than could and should be done.

6- Green by Discovery:  No change is required with this method.  The company discovers that there is already something Green about their product or service.  There is no Green commitment except for the realization that they tripped over an idea already in existence.

7- Green Pretenders:  There are more than a few products that blatantly misrepresent the products, poorly label, or confuse the buyers to produce sales even though the product is not Green by any reasonable standard.

8- Radically Green:  Some Green products are sold just for the environmental wackos (sorry, but its true).  The overhype is not on the product, but on the necessity to buy the product.

9- Mean Green:  Hate runs two ways.  Villianizing the opposition is kind of like the Mac vs PC commercials where the purpose is to denigrate the competition to make your product seem better.

10- Meaningless Green:  Some Green claims are not relevant to the subject.  So, does it matter that the package says, “No Heavy Metals,” “CFC-free,” or “No Bleach Added”?  These ingredients are either already banded or may mask other ingredient still in the product.

When a project called TerraChoice did a survey of 1018 products making 1753 environmental claims, they found that only one product made truthful claims.  The rest fudged, lied, and deceived the public with one or more of their environmental claims.

By the way, consumers should know (but generally don’t) that EPA registration does not mean a product is safe.  Terms like “Green,” Eco-Friendly” and “Earth Friendly” are not regulated terms.  Many companies actually make up their Green certification through a foundation that they privately fund.  And, everyone should know that labels may not contian fully disclosure of all the ingredients in the product.  There is simply a lot of room to fuel the Greenwashing mania.

This all leads to a difficult question, “Who can you believe?”  The ability to contact your local Certified Green Consultant is probably a smart choice for several reasons.  First of all, they can help guide your company through the maze of choices that are in front of us each day.  Secondly, they are part of a product-independent program under the Green Business League.  The pitfall of Going Green is not doing it right.  It is all to easy to follow a mistaken Green path that will come back to harm your reputation later on.  So, if you are going to Go Green, be sure to follow an “Authentic Green” path that will show that your business, product, or service is the real deal.

We have all been part of a grand experiment that has profoundly proven that extensive marketing can create a market for something that is fundamentally wrong.  Years of hard-hitting advertisement has convinced the present generation that bottled water is the hands-down best solution for health and lifestyle.  I beg to differ. There are several reasons that bottled water is one of the most non-Green and non-healthy options that anyone might choice.

First of all, the myth of pure mountain springs and glacial water is nearly a total scam.  Investigative studies have found that many of these firms draw their water from the municipal water supply and filter it before bottling it.   Why then do we not take filtration into our homes and businesses if there is concern?

We were told that municipal water contained harmful ingredients that bottled water did not posses.  That too has been proven wrong in many cases, and that bottled water was not as pristine as the commercial inferred.  Have you ever seen the satirical look at bottle water by Penn and Teller?  If not, it is worth seeing.  As they well document, we are far too vulnerable to advertising and outright manipulation of the facts.

Finally and even more problematic is the prolific distribution of plastic water bottles that consume an immense amount of oil, compromise the purity of the water, and will not dissolve for a thousand years while filling up our over-burdened landfills.  This issue alone is one of the most non-Green, socially-inept, and money -wasting ideas in history.

By the way, have we even calculated the CO2 emission of shipping “water” to communities across America and the world where potable and usable water is in ready supply?  Millions of tons of CO2 comes from the bottled water industry that seems to get literally no “backwash” (pun intended) from the media or society in general.   Or how about the 5 gallon jugs that big trucks hauls through your community and are laboriously hauled in by the local water distributor.  Could this be Green in any sense of the word?

The solutions are two-fold.  One: get rid of the bottle water and get a permanent water bottle.  Two: get your own filtration system in place.  It is not expensive and it is certain a Green.  There is even one the draws water from the air and makes water more pure than the bottled water companies.  If you really want to get a Green water source for your business, take a look at the Green Clean Network and you’ll discover that the science and process is readily available to your home or office.  Better yet, it will literally save you some money (also kinda green) over the water service rates.  It is well past time that the bottled water companies have a recession brought on by the misleading and non-Green adverting done so far.

Want to know more about Going Green in your home or business.  Contact a Certified Green Consultant near you and start on the path to a highly-coveted Green Business Certification offered through the Green Business League.

Strangely enough, Green is now chic, trendy, and relevant.   Before this, it was the domain of long hairs, hippies, and tree huggers.   Years ago, the extreme environmentalist was the “odd man out” and was happy be be so.   Today, environmentalism has gone main stream, and it even enjoys a loyal following that marketers are trying to co-op.

This adoption by the mainstream has brought in a new term called “Greenwashing.”   This is when the Green brag does not live up to the Green hype for a product or company.   With janitorial firms, they have rushed out to buy some “Green Cleaning products,” and then instantly dubbed themselves “Green.”   Instead of learning about Green, going through training and certification; they co-opted the term.  Now, nearly every company in the market has found some way to attach themselves to the Green concept, whether legitimate or not.

That brings us to the topic of “”Token Green.”   This phrase means that a person or business is doing the minimum possible to be called Green.   There are obviously many shades of Green, and some are very mild shades of Green while others are rich in texture.   With nearly every company “Going Green,” there is a large proportion that would fall into the Token Green category.   Sometimes, it’s because they are not sure that ‘this trend’ is going to be around long.   Other times, it is because they care more about the perception than they are for the facts.

As we come of age in a new and Greener world, those that played at Green will pale by comparison to businesses that were “True Green.”   To avoid the pitfalls that will certainly embrace and hurt the “Token Green” firms, make the commitment to start your company’s Green transition.  It need not be instantaneous nor does it need to be expensive.   Hire a Certified Green Consultant to provide the professional guidance that your company needs, and earn your way to a Certified Green Business credential to proudly display.

The Green Business League is a national program with the largest representation in the Green market right now when it comes to Green business certification.  Their 100 point system is the epitome of honest Green certification because, as they say, the GBL certification is “Earned, not Bought.”   Using a well-crafted program, any business can Go Green and earn their certification in just a few months.  More than that, they then participate with a national network of Green businesses to further the sustainable issues of the Green Supply Chain.

The environmental movement is still young, and there are a deviant rush to find an easy way to “Go Green.”  I believe that reality will eventually arrive on the scene and the Green pretenders and greenwashers will be scrutinized in a way that will not allow them to survive the serious light of day in a new and Green economy.