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https://theconversation.com/a-beginners-guide-to-greenwash-and-four-ways-to-avoid-falling-for-it-241585>
"Growing up in a Pakistani village in the 2000s, sustainability was embedded
throughout my daily life. My family has always been cautious of wasting energy,
gas or water because these resources are expensive. We grew most of our own
vegetables and reared poultry for eggs. By just buying a few essential
groceries from the nearby market, we produced very little household waste. Food
scraps were fed to our cattle, and we’d save any plastic bags to reuse.
But now, living in Ireland, I feel anxious about society’s increasing plastic
footprint and level of overconsumption.
The United Nations defines sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs.”. But so much complicated jargon makes it difficult to distinguish
between environmentally ethical practices and mere feelgood marketing.
Some major brands and big corporations promote and package their products as
more eco-friendly than they actually are. In 1986, American environmentalist
Jay Westerveld coined the term “greenwash” to describe hotels that were
promoting towel reuse as an environmentally conscious initiative, when it was
really a cost-cutting measure.
Today, greenwashing encompasses a wide range of deceptive marketing tactics,
but as consumers, we have the right to know the true environmental impact of
our choices. Here are four ways to avoid being duped by greenwash"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
