Greenwashing Away the Truth: Dishonesty in Environmental Marketing

Abstract

As society becomes increasingly aware of climate change, areas of life once considered completely independent from environmental issues intersect with a modern push for sustainability. Intensified by social media’s rapid dissemination of information, the environmental movement has become a growing cause for consumers and a festering nuisance to large corporations. However, by employing green marketing, several industries have interpreted this growing environmentalism as an advertisement tool they can wield rather than an annoyance they must submit to. Motivated by profit alone, several companies have abused this consumer trend, falsely portraying their products as sustainable or misrepresenting their “green initiatives.” These higher prices for products that are actually no better in quality creates a hardship for the low-income consumer. Current legislation allows room for companies to greenwash, or falsely market a product as environmentally-friendly, perpetuating fraud and impacting public ability to actually fight climate change.