This is the publicity or marketing strategy used by some companies or organizations to create the appearance of respect towards the environment, while hiding some of their practices that actually harm nature (Fundéu, 2009). This allows them to benefit from people’s socio-economic interest and thus increase their profits and improve their public image.
David Bellamy—a British naturalist, writer, and environmental activist—introduced the term and defined it as the fact of leading the public to change their perception of a company, product, or a person while emphasizing its environmental credentials which are irrelevant or unfounded (Bellamy, 2002).
Beyond these definitions, it is difficult to determine what greenwashing really is and what it is not. Specialists consulted for the development of this reflectary in Spanish indicate that, at times, it is difficult to establish whether it is a communicational strategy to improve the company’s image or a possible change in the company’s environmental policy. They note that one thing is the process that some companies employ to improve and move towards sustainability, and another thing is a single event, product, or practice used in communications to improve the company’s place in the market.
If the company is not reviewing or changing its productive process but they communicate a single event or product that is supposed to be sustainable, this is considered greenwashing. However, when there is continuous corporate commitment towards a sustainable future, then this is a process of change in its initial stage of implementation.
Si bien se proponen variantes en español, tanto en España como en América Latina, la expresión suele utilizarse mayoritariamente en inglés.
David Bellamy—a British naturalist, writer, and environmental activist—introduced the term and defined it as the fact of leading the public to change their perception of a company, product, or a person while emphasizing its environmental credentials which are irrelevant or unfounded (Bellamy, 2002).
Beyond these definitions, it is difficult to determine what greenwashing really is and what it is not. Specialists consulted for the development of this reflectary in Spanish indicate that, at times, it is difficult to establish whether it is a communicational strategy to improve the company’s image or a possible change in the company’s environmental policy. They note that one thing is the process that some companies employ to improve and move towards sustainability, and another thing is a single event, product, or practice used in communications to improve the company’s place in the market.
If the company is not reviewing or changing its productive process but they communicate a single event or product that is supposed to be sustainable, this is considered greenwashing. However, when there is continuous corporate commitment towards a sustainable future, then this is a process of change in its initial stage of implementation.
Si bien se proponen variantes en español, tanto en España como en América Latina, la expresión suele utilizarse mayoritariamente en inglés.
References:
Primer Glosario de Comunicación Estratégica en Español, 2018
Encuesta y grupos focales consultados para la elaboración de este reflexionario
Photo credit: NothingIsEverything