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"Green" rhetoric is everywhere, political speeches, articles touting "green"
initiatives by various cities and states, movies and television, and yes, even in marketing and advertising.
While a more environmentally conscious society is certainly desirable, the push of this rhetoric can be overwhelming and
may even have the opposite effect: Desensitization.
In business, going green clearly offers potential benefits
for your corporate culture, community relations, and of course, the environment.
But if your primary motive
is profit well, it's far from a proven strategy.
Further, if your company is
perceivied as "geenwashing", talking the green talk in an effort to boost sales but not necessarily walking the
green walk, your brand value, and ultimately your profits, may actually suffer.
In
the first case, this isn't just an ethical question, again and again companies that promise more than they can deliver
end up undermining their brand value, damaging market perceptions and alienating the very audiences they had hoped to
win.
Point blank, false or misleading messages almost always hurt
your business, if you claim that your product or service is environmentally friendly, but know that the claim is only partially
true.
What is "Greenwashing" ?
Greenwashing is a term that is used to describe the act of misleading consumers regarding
the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service.
Greenwashing
is a practice where companies attempt to make their products or services appear to be environmentally friendly by using unregulated environmental
buzzwords and terms, as well as other marketing techniques.
Consumers are duped into
believing they are helping the environment when in truth, they are becoming a victim of "greenwashing".
In a recent article Clark
Howard wrote the following: Beware of Greenwashed products.
Have you been paying extra for supposed "green" products in the cleaning aisle at the supermarket?
Consumer Reports has found that such labels don't really have any meaning.
In fact, the conversion
of familiar, "non-green" products to ecofriendly ones has become known as "greewashing". So beware
the next time you see an old product that's been repackaged as an earth-friendly choice, with a higher price tag.
Likewise, "natural" is just another marketing term, according to The San Francisco Chronicle. There's
no government definition of the term. Some tests have even revealed that petroleum-based products are being called "natural".
Sure, fossil fuels are "natural" because they came from dinosaurs, but isn't that a bit
of a stretch?
The following
words are commonly used by greenwashers because they are neither defined or regulated.
Green
Natural
Reclaimed/Recovered
Recyclable
Recycled
Reusable
Used
Stopping Greenwashers
Greenwashers take advantage of the
public by using unregulated and undefined buzzwords. How can you protect yourself from these dishonest
marketing attempts? Knowledge. The more you research a product, and it's potential green benefits the
easier it will be for you to detect "greenwashing".
Clean Environment
Janitorial Services relies on a couple of safe and effective cleaning products for the majority of their
cleaning.
The first, is a Disinfectant Germicidal Detergent and Deodorant recommended for use
in: hospitals, nursing homes, schools, colleges, commercial and industrial institutions, office buildings, veterinary clinics,
animal life science laboratories, zoos, federally inspected meat and poultry establishments, tack shops, pet shops, airports,
kennels, hotels, motels, breeding establishments, grooming establishments, and households.
The second is a, Non
Toxic, Biodegradable, All Purpose Cleaner.
These products are
both safe and effective.
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