Greenwashing: What does it mean?

Have you ever heard of " greenwashing "? Literally translated into Italian, it means "greenwashing," and the Treccani dictionary defines it as "a communication or marketing strategy pursued by companies, institutions, and organizations that present their activities as eco-sustainable, while trying to conceal their negative environmental impact."

In essence, therefore, it is a superficial environmentalism aimed at building a positive, albeit deceptive, self-image, with the purpose of shifting public attention away from the negative environmental effects caused by its products or activities.

Why resort to this practice? Primarily for economic reasons: companies that make green investments in recent years have better performance than others, as customers are increasingly sensitive to environmental issues.

According to statistics, sustainability is a value that Italian consumers are unwilling to give up because, especially in recent times, climate change is having direct repercussions on people's daily lives, and 3 out of 4 Italians say they are concerned and interested in contributing in some way to the protection of the environment.

Cosmetic products, after food products, are those on which consumers focus their attention the most. The elements they consider most important are: the production method, the packaging, and the fact that the product is Italian.

But when can we actually say that a company is engaging in greenwashing ?

Greenwashing can be defined as the use of vague, imprecise, and poorly understandable language, often with an abuse of exaggerated green terms that are not supported by scientific evidence.

Directive 2005/29/EC on unfair commercial practices states that terms such as "sustainable," "low environmental impact," and "eco-friendly " should not be used in claims unless accompanied by an explanatory statement justifying their use in relation to that product. This specification must be clearly visible. An exception applies to claims supported by official certifications, such as "organic" or "ecolabel." In these cases, the certification itself serves as sufficient guarantee of the veracity of the claims made on the label or in communication campaigns.

Furthermore, attention must be paid to the association of certain claims with images, photos, or sounds that refer to the environment and that may mislead the consumer.

Among the terms "under suspicion" is also the word sustainable. This is because it is often used too vaguely: when talking about sustainability, one can refer not only to the environmental impact of a product, but also to its social and/or economic impact. Therefore, the consumer should be better informed about which area is being referred to.

Furthermore, the statements must be truthful not only in relation to the final product, but to all aspects relevant to its life cycle. Finally, marginal aspects must not be emphasized.

From all this , it can be understood how difficult it can be for the end consumer to determine whether a company is being sincere or engaging in greenwashing. This is also because companies often don't invent information about their products out of thin air, but rather fall victim to this unfair practice by omitting details or "inflating" others.

Therefore, the information should be easily verifiable by consumers who, of course, cannot all be experts in the field.

In fact, many of them feel they don't have enough information to truly understand the sincerity of the labels and claims made by companies. Only 10% of them feel competent enough to independently assess the sustainability of the products they buy.

Undoubtedly, a great responsibility lies with the manufacturing companies, which should implement greater transparency, especially in a historical moment like this where a real attention to the environment is no longer just desirable, but indispensable. for the good of the Planet and all of us.

This rush to "greenwashing" shows just how important ecology and sustainability are today. They are so important that even those who aren't truly green try to associate their brand with this image as much as possible.

How can the average consumer protect themselves?

First, you can refer to the certifications . The specifications are easily available online, and this way you can understand which criteria companies must meet to be certified.

Secondly, do n't be naive and don't be fooled by packaging that evokes elements and colors of nature, or images and slogans related to the environment. Always try to inform yourself better and don't stop at appearances to understand if the label of a product presented as sustainable truly reflects its reality, or if it is a case of greenwashing .

Some of the information in this article comes from the webinar "SUSTAINABILITY AND 'GREENWASHING': HOW TO COMMUNICATE CORRECTLY," promoted by AssoBio. The statistical data comes from Nomisma research.