GREENWASHING

SINS

First, the sin of the hidden trade-off is defined as the act of suggesting that a product is “green” or sustainable because of a single feature. The most common is the use of sustainable packaging then a company labels their products as being green. This ignores the green elements of other factors in the production process such as the emissions produced in the manufacture of the product. Therefore, this is a greenwashing tactic where companies intentionally omit the negative facts surrounding a product and market the entire product as being green because of one single element.

Another form of greenwashing explained is the lack of proof or credibility for the green claims made. In most cases, the greenwashing claims are not supported by a certification from a third party to assert that the product is indeed green. Some of the companies which are known to assert this include the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Energy's “Energy Star” program and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) among others.

The third form of deception used by companies is the use of vague language when branding green products. This may be through using labels that do not reveal the actual greenness of the product or the percentage of the packaging that has been recycled. Other companies may use labels such as "natural" even for products with chemical components. Another evidence is the non-disclosure of the actual place of manufacture which may be linked with unsustainable manufacturing practices.

Further, the “Sin of Lesser of Two Evils” entails creating the feeling of "greenness" to customers by selling products that are known to have a negative effect either on society or on the environment. The trick that companies use is creating the perception that the new product has less impact on the environment than earlier versions of the product. With this, customers then do not pay attention to the larger environmental impacts that the product has. Finally, the sin of fibbing occurs when a company post claims that are untrue in order to appear sustainable. Some of the common practices include labeling a product as being a "certified organic" product when, in real sense, they are not.