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On January 7, 2008, EnviroMedia Social
Marketing (EnviroMedia)1
in conjunction with the University of Oregon School of
Journalism and Communication (SOJC) launched an interactive
online portal – www.greenwashingindex.com (Greenwashing
Index). The idea behind the concept was to familiarize consumers
with the concept of 'greenwashing', which the Oxford Dictionary
defines as 'Disinformation disseminated by an organization so as
to present an environmentally responsible public image.'2
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By using the Greenwashing Index, consumers could rank
ads making green claims. Firms found guilty of exaggerating their green
claims would be at the risk of facing severe criticism.
"This new website is the world's first interactive online forum for
educating consumers on the criteria for recognizing greenwashing. It's
our hope consumers will know greenwashing when they see it, and that
this will compel companies to strive for true green improvements that
make their environmental marketing more genuine,"3
said Valerie Davis, CEO, EnviroMedia.
The launch of the site took place alongside the US Federal Trade
Commission's (FTC)4 workshops,
called 'Eco in the Market', in order to review and update its 'Green
Guides.'5 The Green Guide helps
prevent consumers from being misled by false green claims of companies
advertising their products or services.
The Greenwashing Index was announced at the 2007 UN Climate Change
Conference held at Bali, Indonesia. EnviroMedia and SOJC together
identified five fundamental parameters for ranking the ads viz.
misleading with words; misleading with visuals and/or graphics; making a
green claim that is vague or seemingly unprovable; overstating or
exaggerating how green the product/company/service actually is; and
leaving out or masking important information, making the green claim
sound better than it is.6
Users could rate ads against these parameters on a scale of 1 to 5 and
generate scores ranging from 'a good ad', 'pushing it' to 'total greenwashing.' President of EnviroMedia, Kevin Tuerff, said that he
hoped the Index "will help eradicate bad environmental marketing claims
and, at the same time, shine a positive light on companies making
measurable reductions in carbon emissions related to climate change."7
In recent times, more and more companies had been coming forward to
position their products as being environment friendly. While a company's
decision to promote green products could actually lead to a positive
environmental outcome, affixing 'green' to the marketing message often
translated into whopping sales for the company as well.
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1] Headquartered in Texas, USA, EnviroMedia Social
Marketing (formerly known as Tuerff Davis EnviroMedia) is one of the leading
US-based marketing agencies that specializes in brand management, interactive
marketing, managing media relations etc.
2] www.global-awareness.net.
3] "Greenwashers Get Site of Their Very Own," www.environmentalleader.com, December 11, 2007.
4] FTC, an independent US agency, formed in 1914,
protects anti-competitive business methods and promotes 'consumer protection'.
5] FTC's Guidelines for Environmental Marketing
Claims was formulated in 1992, and last updated in 1998.
6] "Consumers Put Ads to Greenwashing Test," www.reuters.com, January 7, 2008.
7] James Murray, "New Website to Target Greenwashers," www.businessgreen.com, January 8, 2008. |
