Guide against greenwashing

[Music]

companies worldwide

need a guide against greenwashing

greenwashing is a form of misleading

marketing where

a product service or company is

presented as

better in respect to climate change

the environment or human rights issues

without

proper documentation to back this claim

simply put

green washers talk loudly about the

importance of sustainability

without making an actual effort whereas

responsible companies work hard to

create

shared values for both themselves and

society

as a whole and this seems kind of

straightforward

but in a lot of cases it’s not

a lot of companies end up greenwashing

without intending it

they just want to talk about a product

they believe to be a part of the climate

solution

without having the knowledge to fully

assess

the impacts of this products and while

this might sound kind of harmless it can

actually be quite devastating to our

common cause

of averting the climate crisis by

creating apathy and distrusts

among the individuals that we need to

fight for a better future

so what can be done about greenwashing

shift business climate leaders got

challenged by

activists here in norway to create a

guide

for businesses to help them avoid this

kind of marketing

the result is 10 principles that over

200 norwegian businesses have signed so

far

claiming that they will do their utmost

to uphold them

now we want to take the guide against

screen washing

to the global stage so

let’s get going i’m just going to walk

you through the guides

number one be honest and accountable

avoid

using words like green or eco and fair

without both explaining and documenting

what your company have done or will do

to make sure that the statement can be

verified

also you should be very careful with

using results

from reports out of contexts to better

suit your own

marketing needs number two make sure

that your company’s sustainability

efforts

are not limited to your communication

and marketing departments

companies who continue with business as

usual

but apply a marketing strategy focusing

on sustainability

will end up greenwashing in almost every

case

number three you should avoid talking

about the importance of

sustainability or ethical trade

if your company themselves have not made

serious efforts on these issues

of course it’s nice to raise the pride

flag

the international women’s day or share

black lives matter but if this is the

full extent

of your company’s commitment to change

then

it will appear as quite hollow

number four do not under communicate

your company’s own

emission and negative impacts it’s

better

to be honest about being a part of the

problem

and focusing on how your company can get

better

most people cheer for those who do their

best

number five be careful using a big

amount of your marketing budget

on relatively small measures that does

not affect your

company’s footprints significantly if

your marketing

is focused on the five percent of your

product line

which is labeled as sustainable

whereas the remaining 95 percent causes

harm to

the climate or the environment or the

people producing

the goods you should have quite concrete

plans

of how to change that ratio drastically

number six

avoid buying a clean conscience through

climate quotas

companies who take sustainability

seriously

start by working on their own footprints

number seven use established labeling or

work towards the establishment of good

labeling mechanisms within your industry

if it is lacking today established

labeling helps

both consumers and companies to make

informed choices

labeling that might wrongly give the

impression of a third party

certification

is of course not advised

number eight be careful using terms such

as

better for the environment almost all

products and services that are provided

in today’s economy

have some sort of negative impact on our

biosphere

number nine cherry picking from the un’s

sustainable development goals

can lead you astray the goals that are

most important to your company

are the goals that have the closest link

to your company’s core activities

if your production line emits massive

amounts of co2

or cause human rights violations in

another country

you should avoid marketing your efforts

for equality

in your home country

number 10 donations and sponsorships

are great but they’re not a proof that

your

company is working on sustainability

issues

if listing donations to respected

organization

on your webpage is your company’s way of

trying to tell the world that you are

working on sustainability issues

it’s not going to cut it it’s your

company

your product and your services that have

to change so

we hope that this guide can be a tool

for businesses to

responsibly market our goods and

services

while we all work our way towards the un

sustainable

development goals a truly sustainable

economy is going to be a massive

undertaking that will require an

immense amount of effort from all of us

but a better future and a sustainable

society for the generations to come

has potential endless value

so we have to do business with this in

mind

and stop greenwashing