Is Greenwashing Being Taken Seriously Enough?

Climate change and the attempts to combat this has been one of the most pressing concerns of recent times but the first battle of getting this to the forefront of 7 billion people’s conscience has been won, everybody knows about it. Companies and institutions now have moral and legal obligations. A side effect, though, has been the emergence of greenwashing.

‘Glimpse’ attempted to raise awareness of this in a hard-hitting way with a recent ad. ‘Oil companies pay influencers to make their dirty businesses look clean’ is the tag line. In reality, businesses sometimes focus a tiny percentage of their business on sustainable practices but it can be the primary focus of how they communicate. So effectively talking about the five percent which is doing good, ignoring the ninety five percent which is not.

The advert features an influencer who is boasting about an upcoming holiday that is funded by a major oil company; as she is reciting the scripted environmental claims, oil begins to billow out of her mouth. As she continues to speak, she continues to heave more up. It really is quite hard to watch. Due to the hard watch nature of this advert, LinkedIn recently pulled it, citing it as ‘offensive to good taste’.

This does beg a few questions though; Is this advert really as hard a watch as penguins’ natural homes sinking into the sea? Is this advert really as hard hitting as the increased CO2 entering our lungs from the atmosphere? If the fear of an audience being repulsed by an advert demonstrating the concerns around greenwashing takes precedence over the actual message being conveyed, people are being misled and the environment is suffering as a result. Are our priorities all wrong?

Greenwashing must be the next thing at the forefront of the 7 billion, otherwise what was the point in the original breakthrough? A commitment to accountability and to calling out greenwashing, is critical, as is the need for authenticity when it comes to storytelling. We at Planet Shine, and our partner companies, constantly seek to promote this transparency, whilst eradicating greenwashing and telling stories that drive change at a global level and generate brand awareness for companies that are doing the right thing.