January 6th in Other by Cyrus . Leave a comment.

How to greenwash in four easy steps

This post is written in a sarcastic tone. We apologize if anyone is offended but it was necessary to write in this tone to get the message across. The Greenwashing Blog is all about greenwashing. Greenwashing is the act of making misleading claims about environmental friendliness. If you’re a business without morals or ethics, here is your very helpful guide on how to greenwash your product.

Redesign your label to include the color green, leaves, trees, or the recycle symbol.
Change the name of your product to include the words “eco, green, or enviro”. (For example: a Widget becomes an Eco-Widget)
Market your product in green living magazines and websites like Treehugger.com, Grist.org or WebEcoist.com. Their eco-conscious readers will assume your product is environmentally friendly just because it’s on their favorite green blog.
Describe your product with an eco-friendly spin. For example, “Go Green with this crude oil burning SUV!” Sounds nice and eco-friendly doesn’t it?

There! Your product is now a complete greenwash!

Cyrus

2 Comments

Damon from Settlement Company
May 8, 2011

Hey Cyrus,

You have to love the marketing departments. They make us want to eat hot dogs and drink soda. Making us think a product is green is a relatively easy task. Unfortunately marketers and advertisers know we, as a rule, tend to believe things we read and assume things are correct much more than questioning it.

I live by the rule that most advertising is at least 75% BS.