Eco-friendly, biodegradable, sustainable - what
do these words have in common? Perhaps very little! In reality, they are
advertising arguments that seek to attract the attention of the consumer,
especially those consumers who are more environmentally conscious, when
shopping. However, some of these advertisements are not backed up by any
evidence regarding the sustainability of the product or company in question.
So at a time when 57 percent of EU consumers
are receptive to environmental claims when choosing and buying, for some
companies going green has become a way of doing good in business and increasing
their sales.
For this reason, DECO is concerned about
greenwashing. According to the Consumer Protection Association, the increase in
consumers' ecological awareness has brought with it a marketing technique known
as "greenwashing", in the light of which a company can claim that it
meets "certain" environmental protection objectives or has a
"certain" environmental performance, although in reality this is not
true.
Unfortunately, the large number of such claims
on the market - a high percentage of which are empty - leads to an unclear
situation where most consumers cannot understand which products are truly
eco-friendly, DECO said.
As such, DECO wants consumers to know what
greenwashing is, how it works and how it should be fought. The campaign
also suggests to companies "Don't be painted green! Tell it like it
is" seeking to prevent consumers from spending their money on whitewashed
choices with false claims by increasing their knowledge about truly sustainable
choices.
Stay tuned to DECO’s social media and special
episodes on DECOPODe about greenwashing. DECO wants to help you separate the
wheat from the chaff!