4. “The least worst” and the compensations
Some environmental claims may refer to characteristics that are generally true, but are intended to distract consumers from larger environmental impacts in the category as a whole. This type of greenwashing It’s not that different from irrelevance, but it can be even more complex and pernicious because it tries to clean up the image of a product by comparing it or putting it in context with something else.
For example, a product that offers to plant a tree for every certain volume sold, the product being highly harmful to the environment. It is also the case of organic or natural products that in essence can be harmful to health. Some seven or eight passenger utility vehicles or SUVs with combustion engines, but with organic bamboo fiber seats, may also fall into this category.
As we see, greenwashing can be found in many current products, some intentional and others not so malicious, but always confusing and serious. Some of the types of greenwashing exposed here may even be false or fraudulent information and should be regulated, but, in other cases, the line is very thin and difficult to prove.
In any case, the best solution is on the consumer’s side, since with our consumption decisions we can discourage these practices. Still, greenwashing remains too easy a temptation for some companies focused on a growing market segment interested in greener or more responsible products.
This scenario demands constant learning for regulators and consumers. Evaluating the sustainability claims of each product and the different ways to communicate it becomes a complex task, but at the end of the day it is worth doing everything possible to improve the quality and reduce the environmental impact of the products that are offered.
Editor’s note: Carlos Alberto Vargas is a full professor at EGADE Business School. Write to [email protected] The opinions published in this column belong exclusively to the author.
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