Greenwashing's new friend.....Greenmuting

 

I was just introduced to a new term, “green-muting.” Green-muting is when a company doesn’t disclose anything about the sustainability initiatives they have underway; it’s the opposite of green-washing, which is when a company makes mis-leading or false claims about sustainability in relation to themselves, their products or their services making them sound more environmentally friendly than they really are.

One could interpret “green-muting” as a company being humble and “green-washing” as a company being confident. Unfortunately, there’s less innocence behind the exhibition of these terms than the exhibition of human emotions. It’s possible for green-muting and green-washing to be accidental, but most of the time they are calculated PR strategies.

Corporate green-washing plus individualist consumer based "change" with a dash of sexism thrown in the mix, Photo and caption by Jonathan Mcintosh

 A company may choose to “green-mute” if they are concerned about any of the following:

• sustainability is new to them and they have a lot of work to do to implement green principles into business practices 
• losing mass appeal if they “go-green” 
• they like their niche market and don’t want to differentiate themselves based on “green” issues

Green-muting and green-washing often enter the discussion when eco-labeling and certifications are called into question. Eco-labels and certifications such as FairTrade, Rainforest Alliance, and USDA Organic are supposed to add environmental and social credibility to a company and product. The trouble is that there are now so many labels and certifications out there that it’s hard to know who to trust.

Ultimately, sustainability and environmentally friendliness come from within an organization. They come from the mission, vision, goals, and actions taken. The labeling and certifications are there to help consumers sift through the jargon and the hype that companies present us with. If a company is truly sustainable do they need to certify that or shout it from a mountaintop? If a company is not sustainable, why shouldn’t they just keep quiet?

Enter the words TRANSPARENCY, AUTHENTICITY, ACCOUNTABILITY. These three words are key to creating socially and environmentally responsible organizations. 

Photo by Sjors Provoost

 Transparency – Companies report on their activities and business practices to share-holders and consumers. They state what they are doing well and what they are doing not so well. Interacting with a company and it’s employees is like getting information by looking through a newly cleaned glass window, streak and residue free.

Authenticity – A company cuts the crap and just is and does what it states.

Accountability - Companies exhibit responsibility for standing behind their marketing schpeels, their words, and their actions. They exhibit this responsibility transparently to all concerned.

We all can play a role in changing the way business is done. Educate yourself and make conscious consumer choices.

Additional resources:

http://www.safecosmetics.org/

http://www.organicconsumers.org

http://sinsofgreenwashing.org/