Posted by
BLOGASSAULT on Saturday, September 12, 2009 12:11:23 PM
Is surfing green? Are the products you use to wax your board environmentally safe? Are all the eco-freindly products really "eco-friendly"? These questions and many more are addressed in this compelling
TimesOnline article.
I am being fecicious, of course. But I link this article because like surfing wax that is petroleum based, yet wears a green badge of eco-friendlyness on the label, so many other products you see in the store today are doing the same.
Having something on the label that identifies the product as green or envoronmentally safe is the new buzz in marketing. Just go to Target or Wal-Mart and look at the labeling of different products. It would seem that everything has some kind of "green" marketing design attached to it. Whole new market segments have come to market becuase of this green wave.
Go to some of the websites of some of the largest companies and you will find layers upon layers of pages showing how environmentally resposible they have become. Companies like
Johnson and Johnson,
Procter and Gamble,
Sony, and many others are all trying to prove that they thinking green. That is a good thing. But many companies are simply jumping on the boat to look good.
It's called "greenwashing".
Greenwashing is a form of corporate misrepresentation where a company will present a green public image and publicize green initiatives that are false or misleading. A company might release misleading claims or even true green initiatives while privately engaging in environmentally damaging practices. Companies are trying to take advantage of the growing public concern and awareness for environmental issues by promoting an environmentally responsible image.
I suspect there is alot of that going on. Margeting is a slippery slope of half truths and clever presentations of suspect products. It is always up to the consumer to verify the products they use. One thing is for sure though, msot people including myself who have purchased so called green products have found they don't work as well, and returned to what they were using before. Clorox came out with a whole new line of green products called Green Works. The green in the name maybe true, but the works part is a joke.
Being green is still, in the end, a marketing ploy that has become a money making proposition for most companies. Like so many other things, it is more than likely a fad. Before too long, a new marketing campaign will drive the market leaving green in the dust.