Kiwano Marketing » greenwashing

Can You Be Accused Of Greenwashing?

Sofia Ribeiro — Thu, 13 May 2010 13:06:48 +0000

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been receiving numerous inquiries on how businesses can communicate their green efforts without undergoing extreme customer scrutiny. While consumers say they want to deal with environmentally and socially responsible companies, some of the organizations that do promote their good deeds end up being accused of greenwashing. How do you prevent this and still bank on your good corporate stewardship?

We answer this and other green marketing issues in our free webinar Turning Green into Gold: Green Marketing Tips. On May 25th, you’ll learn:

- What truly makes a green brand
- How to craft a personable green message
- How to prevent being accused of greenwashing
- The best ways to generate business from green consumers and businesses
- Which green marketing strategies work for small businesses on a tight budget

Don’t miss out on the green wave. Grab the last seats for our free webinar at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/311707016.

Details:
Turning Green into Gold: Green Marketing Tips For Sustainable Businesses
When: May 25, at 1:00pm PST / 4:00pm EST
Where: Online
Cost: Free

See you there on May 25th.

3 Guidelines To Effectively Market Green Building

Rob Jones — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 13:01:17 +0000

Today’s post is from guest blogger Rob Jones of Vancouver-based online building materials firm BuildDirect. Rob’s experience in authoring the company’s green building blog has given him some insight into what it is to communicate how sustainability is affecting the industry in which BuildDirect is a part.

We asked Rob about his own efforts in talking about sustainable practices and trends in the marketplace while avoiding the greenwashing of his company’s products .

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The term ‘greenwashing’ has entered into common use, and rightly so. There are many examples of corporate greenwashing that have made talking about green on a company blog – or in a corporate marketing campaign – something to make the media-savvy, environmentally-aware consumer’s spidey senses tingle.

When it comes to green marketing on our main site, and discussions on our blogs, three principles stand for me as the basis for all my communications. Here they are:

1. Green products are on a spectrum
Green products are those that can be best discussed in a spectrum of value rather than as absolutes. The arguably eco-friendly nature of any product very often depends on the context and circumstance of its application. This means being more deliberate about engaging in conversations with customers, suppliers, and with other experts in the field in order to get the balance right.

2. Green is a path, not a destination
When I’m writing on the BuildDirect green building blog as an individual voice, I am very aware that I am a student as much asa discussion facilitator and curator of content. I have not arrived. And neither has our company, which is in constant discussion (that word again, folks) with members of our supply chain as well as government bodies and industry associations. We have a lot to teach people, because of these discussions. But, we’ve got a lot to learn, too. This is as it should be with any serious set of issues which are constantly in flux as technology, communication channels, and public awareness evolves.

3. Green is not about the marketing ’sizzle’
It is sorely tempting for many companies to start green blogs and green marketing campaigns to keep up with the corporate Joneses. It is the easier route to try to appeal to a burgeoning market niche without a deep dive into (or disclosure surrounding) the nature of the products, or the process by which they are made, shipped, and sold. But unless sustainability as an issue is treated with respect, and homework is done, relying on old-fashioned marketing “sizzle” alone will be found out.

When it comes to green marketing, the values of honesty and authenticity should be infused into the manufacturing, supply, and sales processes. Because industries are rightly under a watchful eye, efforts to market green products has to be more than a simple re-branding exercise. It’s got to be about good communications, and healthy discussion (a word that I’ve used in all three points) about the products and practices that represent the values of the company behind them.

How To Prevent Greenwashing

Sofia Ribeiro — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:20:51 +0000

Comply with the Environmental Marketing Guides

Today I did a Google search on “green marketing claims” and was just overwhelmed with the results. Here’s what I got on the top 3 results: “Sorting Out ‘Green’ Advertising Claims,” followed by “Only .05% of Green Marketing Claims Not False or Misleading” and “Whom Do You Trust to Make Green Marketing Claims?”. This is quite worrisome for marketers that genuinely want to help green companies succeed. So here’s a resource that will help both marketers and consumers understand green marketing claims – directly from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

FTC’s Environmental Marketing Guides looks at all advertising from the consumer’s perspective: what message does the ad actually convey to consumers? The Environmental Guides explain how consumers are likely to interpret environmental marketing claims, so that marketers can avoid making false or misleading claims. These guides give environmental claims the meaning that consumers give them, and not necessarily the technical or scientific definition of terms. Also, they do not establish standards for environmental performance or prescribe testing protocols.

All marketers making express or implied claims about the attributes of their product, package or service must have substantiation, that is, a reasonable basis for their claims. When it comes to environmental claims, a reasonable basis often may require competent and reliable scientific evidence, which is defined as tests, analyses, research, studies or other evidence based on the expertise of professionals in the relevant area, conducted and evaluated in an objective way by qualified people – using procedures generally accepted in the profession to yield accurate and reliable results.

An environmental marketing claim should specify whether it refers to the product, the packaging or both, or just to a component of the product or its packaging. For instance, consider a box of cereal labeled “recycled package.” The package consists of a paperboard box with a wax paper bag inside holding the cereal. By itself, the claim “recycled package” could apply to both the box and the bag. If only the box is recycled, the claim is considered deceptive; it should be qualified to say, for example, “recycled box.”

Qualifications (that is, disclosures or explanations) pertaining to an environmental claim should be clear, prominent and understandable. Clarity can be achieved through the size of the type face, proximity of the qualification to the claim being qualified, and absence of contrary language that could undercut effectiveness. Environmental claims should also not exaggerate or overstate attributes or benefits, and comparative environmental claims should be clear to avoid consumer confusion about what is being compared.

You will find more information on this topic at FTC’s website and at GPO Access’s page.

Avoiding The Greenwash: Best Green Practices for Small Businesses

kiwano — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 15:59:48 +0000

The Social Media for Small Business series will be back next week. I’ve discovered a bunch of great social media tools and will need the time to properly review them all. Today, I wanted to take a detour and write about a topic that’s been on my mind lately.

Across national borders, and especially here on the West Coast, consumers are becoming increasingly savvy to the problems of greenwashing. I see this is a positive development – a step in the right direction towards global awareness. Instead of putting faith into a product’s appearance (and advertising spin), companies are starting to be held responsible for their commitment towards the environment. Where governments and bureaucracies have lagged in providing much in the way of environmental regulations, individual companies are creating their own standards of green corporate responsibility.

So how does a small business go about differentiating their image? How does one formulate business practices in an effort to avoid greenwashing? There are certainly many paths towards a greener corporate identity, and most are easily attainable by small businesses.

What Consumers Are Thinking

What is greenwashing? TerraChoice, which runs the Sins of Greenwashing website, defines it this way: “the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service.” They further divide it down the “sins” into seven distinct areas, most of which have to relate directly with product claims and marketing.

Green-minded consumers obviously want to know that their companies care about the products and services on offer. They are increasingly interested in the full disclosure. No longer is this limited to the ingredients which make up a product but, to a wider extent, the practices which constitute the company behind it. Interested in building up a good reputation and rapport with your clients? Regardless of the industry you’re in, having sustainable practices is no longer a ‘value-added’ bonus – it’s quickly becoming an important factor which can lead a consumer to consider one firm over another.

No Company Is Perfect: Green Knowledge Sharing

The green industry is certainly one of excitement and change – everyday, it seems, there are new discoveries about what is green, eco, and sustainable. With all of the new knowledge around us, it can be hard to keep up with the best practices. Rather than trying to develop green strategies internally, companies need to be open to sharing what they are doing on a corporate level. This is a reciprocal arrangement: companies are more likely to do business with ones that are alike in mentality. I see thrilling possibilities for future partnerships and mutual support; eventually, the creation of green business referral networks and resource pages.

Here are two good resources I use to monitor trends in greenwashing: The Guardian Greenwash Blog and The Greenwashing Index.

A New Way of Marketing

At Kiwano, we get asked this question very often: what makes “green” marketing green? With all the media mentions we’ve been blessed with lately (check out them out on Environmental Expert and The Green Pages), clients are starting to take note that Kiwano is a different breed of marketing firm.

At foundation of green marketing is a business which constantly evolves its strategies with the environment in mind. Green businesses take all the services of a traditional firm and find ways to implement them more sustainably. For example, many of Kiwano’s services are deliverable through the internet, and thus avoid printed materials altogether. Companies can also improve their green marketing programs by establishing a network of local and sustainable vendors which supply sustainable marketing materials, such as soy or vegetable ink, post-consumer and recycled paper, and innovative printing processes which reduce their carbon footprint.

Sofia and I both decided to create our own green marketing consulting business because we know there is room for improvement in the majority of office environments. You too can start leading by example and prove that ‘greening’ your business does not mean dampening the bottom line – your profit. With the growth of the conscious consumer, green marketing is the key to ensuring that your company remains competitive.

What are your company’s best green practices? Share them with us below and help create a better world, one small business at a time.