Pure Growth!

Greenwash is a huge problem for eco-minded businesses.

It is commonly defined as “the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company, or the environmental benefits of a product or service.” Put simply, greenwashing is the fastest way to failure in a growing industry that caters to a highly skeptical audience.

Don’t think greenwash is a big deal? Figure you can get away with fudging a few claims to win over a green consumer or two? Wrong. Not only are these practices highly unethical, but there are now watchdog organizations that make it their business to uncover greenwash and put disreputable companies in the spotlight, ruining their chances of conducting business with eco-conscious markets. Sourcewatch, Greenwashing Index, and Greenwashing.net are three of the most popular organizations of this kind.

So, what do green consumers demand from an authentically eco-friendly business? Here are three qualities to focus on if you want to be successful with this audience.

1. Don’t be a hypocrite. Don’t think you’ll be able to get away with selling a green product alongside contradictory products in your lineup. Take the promotional products industry for example. Many of the companies in this wasteful industry are now including “eco-friendly” products in their lineup, as if this could possibly distract consumers from the hundreds of thousands of other plastic, non-biodegradable products they sell. Don’t be a hypocrite – consumers aren’t stupid.

2. Don’t lie. This should be common sense, but it seems that a few companies can’t quite get the grasp of this one yet. Lying sends a very clear and simple message: my company offers no real value; therefore I must twist and exaggerate facts in order to effectively manipulate you into buying my useless products and services. If you lie, you’ll be found out eventually…and when it happens, it will not be worth it. Do not make false claims about the green status of your company, do not embellish facts, and do not underestimate the intelligence of an informed consumer.

3. Don’t hide. More than anything, green consumers demand transparency and accountability from the companies they choose to give their business to. Go out of your way to make any unclear aspects of your operation as accessible as possible. No company is perfect – even if your company has some less-green characteristics, honesty will go a long way with an eco-conscious audience. The more you information you share with your market, the more trust you earn. Once consumers feel comfortable with your business and value your honesty, you’ve won half the battle!

This isn’t rocket science folks. Running a successful green business requires a healthy dose of common sense, maybe even more than a running a “normal” business might require. Consumers are skeptical of green claims thanks to some phony profiteers, so now it’s your responsibility to regain their trust. Stick to ethical business models and you should have no problem capturing a deserved share of this rapidly expanding green consumer market.

Every once and awhile, I come across a special principle — one of those golden, shimmering standards that seems to be true no matter what corner of reality you apply it to. There aren’t many, but one of the most important ones, especially when it comes to green marketing, is authenticity.

Authenticity may mean many things to many different people depending upon what angle you view it from. Here’s my angle:

au·then·tic: true to one’s own personality, spirit, or character.

As consumer response to marketing and advertisements matures and evolves, the demand for sincerity of intention has become one of the minimum prerequisites for doing business — and rightfully so. This isn’t simply an educated guess or a logical assumption. It’s the truth, and the growing significance of user-driven watchdog organizations such as The Greenwashing Index and CorpWatch provide some hard evidence. These groups are dedicated to holding businesses accountable for the green claims they make. They are validators of authenticity.

What happens when you betray the trust of the people you rely on to keep you in business? Let’s ask Goodyear. When the well-known tire company released their Eagle LS2000 tire alongside lofty eco-friendly claims, it’s clear that someone in the marketing department wasn’t thinking very far in advance. Claims that the tire had a “minimum environmental impact,” and that it was manufactured using a special process that reduced carbon dioxide emissions turned out to be completely baseless. But the marketers at Goodyear didn’t stop there. On top of their hefty pile of lies, they decided they might as well throw in the arbitrary claim that special technology also increased the lifespan of the tire and improved fuel economy! All lies.

Now Goodyear finds itself in a difficult position. First of all, they must compensate the victims of their twisted claims with partial refunds (which should be complete refunds, if you ask me). But a much larger problem looms for the tire giant.

It’s becoming clear that sustainability is the future of industry. Adapt or risk being phased out entirely. Intelligent companies have the vision and the foresight to realize that without compliance, they will either have no reason to market anything (because of the permanent implications of climate change or other environmental crises), or they won’t be able to keep up with more profitable, sustainable competition.

Now what will happen the next time Goodyear tries to make a claim about the environmentally-friendly aspects of its new products? Aside from being investigated at the end of every sentence, I’d venture a guess and say those who truly value authenticity will simply take their business elsewhere. The tire industry certainly isn’t immune to the potential for innovation. Goodyear must now defend its position against companies that are willing to remain true to their claims. And Goodyear has nobody to blame but themselves.

If you think an image overhaul is all you need to connect with a green audience, you’re going to end up doing more harm than good to your company. Be authentic about your intentions, or don’t speak about them at all. In an economic world of increased accountability and transparency, authenticity will always remain king.