The concept of greenwashing

-  Sristi, XI. 

Greenwashing is a deceptive marketing practice where a company exaggerates and falsely claims to be environmentally friendly. It aims to make products, services to appear more 'sustainable', or 'eco conscious' than it actually is. The companies try to show themselves as an 'ethical' corporation to get the attention of shareholders and consumers. Greenwashing is not simply a marketing misstep — it is a systemic abuse of trust driven by profit-hungry capitalism cloaked in environmental concern. As the climate crisis accelerates and consumers demand ethical accountability, corporations exploit sustainability as a branding tool rather than a business ethic. This commodification of environmentalism turns genuine concern into market strategy, diluting real progress. There are many greenwashing tactics used by the companies- they use terms like "CFC (chloro-fluro-carbon) free" when CFCs are already banned. The corporations also claim their product to be "100% sustainable" when only part of it is as they highlight minor sustainable actions to distract people from overall harmful practices. We should realise that a small green leaf or a green dot on a particular product does not mean that it is part of a sustainable development approach. It is nothing other than marketing tactics. We, on a daily basis come across many companies who strategize their marketing techniques by greenwashing. Here is a closer look: 

1) H&M

H&M's "conscious collection" was launched claiming false sustainability. Some garments were labelled as using 30% less water and energy. Investigation showed that they actually used 30% more water and energy for making those products. A class-action lawsuit was filed against H&M for false marketing and greenwashing in 2022.

2)Starbucks

Starbucks introduced a "straw-less lid" as a part of its sustainability efforts for nothing other than marketing purpose. These lids actually contained more plastic than the combined lid amd straw replaced. The initiative faced a backlash for not efficiently addressing plastic waste.

3)Volkswagen 

In 2015, Volkswagen was found to have installed software in diesel vehicles that manipulated emission , tests. While marketing their cars as low-emission, these vehicles 40 times more nitrogen oxide pollutants during regular driving. The scandal led to significant legal and financial issues for the company 

4)Shell

Fossil fuel company Shell regularly pushes out ‘green’ adverts that obscure the reality of its business. They’re committed to exploring new sources for gas and oil and don’t plan to reduce the amount it produces by 2030. Fossil fuels are one of the biggest contributors to climate change – and Shell has known this for years. Extracting fossil fuels also poses a threat to communities and wildlife, as oil spills that pollute oceans and small leaks poison land and water for people living nearby. Scientific analysis has even confirmed that climate claims from oil companies are greenwash.

The path forward demands systemic change: enforceable regulations, independent oversight, and an empowered public that demands transparency and accountability. greenwashing is not just deceptive — it’s dangerous. Packaging that focuses on telling us what isn’t in the product should be seen as a red flag as this is often used to distract consumers from what is actually in the ingredients list. Greenwashing lets companies keep doing business as usual, while pretending they’re doing better. So all the planet-polluting, habitat-harming things they do, just goes on.