As the climate crisis intensifies, the need for sustainable solutions has never been more urgent. However, with companies and industries continuing to center profit it provides another challenge for consumers to navigate between genuine environmental efforts and false claims of sustainability. This makes it further extremely challenging for individuals to make truly eco-friendly choices.
UNYA Aalborg wants to promote the values of the UN and help promote the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To address the issue of greenwashing and help consumers navigate the misleading advertisements prevalent in today’s media landscape, we hosted a workshop at Folkemødet on Bornholm—a significant annual event in Denmark that focuses on democracy and societal issues—in June 2024. During the festival, we hosted a workshop aimed at empowering consumers with the knowledge and tools to identify and resist greenwashing in everyday life. Through materials we prepared in advance, participants visualized the strategies companies use to greenwash their products and discussed how this relates to SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, and SDG 13: Climate Action.
What is greenwashing and why is it a problem?
Greenwashing is defined as a company or organization that appears or claims to be doing more to protect the environment than they are. Greenwashing is often employed as a marketing strategy by companies looking to appear more environmentally responsible than they truly are.
So why is this a problem? Well, it undermines the consumers who want to genuinely make environmentally friendly efforts by misleading them to purchase products or services under the impression that it is sustainable or green. Thereby establishing a false understanding of sustainability. Therefore, consumers must think critically when purchasing a product that is presented as green and demand transparency and proof when assessing the ecological impact of products and companies. Greenwashing is also harmful because it diverts attention and resources from genuinely sustainable initiatives.
During our Folkemødet workshop, we wanted to find Greenwashing claims or what could be considered Greenwashing and for participants to connect Greenwashing strategies to the companies which they thought belonged to each other and discuss if they considered it Greenwashing. Reflecting on and discussing these issues with others is crucial for raising awareness. Participants were eager to try the challenge and were very surprised by how many companies we had stumbled upon. During our research, we were also surprised by how many companies that had been accused of greenwashing such as the food box company Hello Fresh and the diary company Arla. Then we found less surprising companies such as clothing companies such as Zara, H&M and Shein or transportation companies such as Volkswagen or Lufthansa.
We prepared a pamphlet with the different Greenwashing strategies which you can also access through this link.
In our research on greenwashing in preparation for our workshop, I also stumbled upon another phenomenon called Greenhushing.
What is greenhushing?
Well, it is somewhat the opposite of greenwashing, as with the many companies getting fined and complained about for promising false sustainable or green initiatives, greenhushing is companies who implement sustainable or green solutions within their work without advertising it. Is it a problem, according to Danish something it is because it makes companies scared to promote their business and more difficult to attract customers who care about these things. However, this issue seems to be a matter of taking the best amounts of measures before making environmental claims about a product. It does not mislead the consumers and causes more emissions than with products presented as green.
Due to the ongoing climate crisis, we must equip ourselves and each other by encouraging responsible consumption and that is why we wanted to do the workshop on Folkemødet. To reach out to young people across the country and engage people in the conversation. We can demand more from companies that produce the products that we consume.
Get involved in the conversation and make a difference!
This is how you can get involved:
- Support Climate-Friendly Initiatives: Check out the Carbon Collective or Den Grønne Ungdomsbevægelse (The Green Youth Movement).
- Re-Evaluate Your Purchases: Always question whether you truly need a product before buying it.
- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Embrace sustainable practices in your everyday life.
- Call Out Greenwashing: Use your voice to challenge misleading environmental claims.
- Volunteer and Donate: Get involved with environmental causes that make a difference.
Let’s continue this conversation
The workshop and interaction with participants showed that we want to make eco-conscious decisions; we want to know what products we are truly buying and we are committed to the SDGs!
It’s time for all of us—consumers, businesses, and policymakers alike—to demand more from the companies shaping our world.
Would like to take more #climateaction? How about joining the UNYA working group ”climate action” where you can discuss more and plan similar events!