These traits are the Six Sins of Greenwashing from TerraChoice Environmental Marketing. Let’s break them down: ❌ Hidden trade-offs - The brand will rely on a limited set of “green” attributes while ignoring the rest of their harmful practices. Example: Using 1 recycled material but not address the waste and pollution in the production process. ❌ No proof - The brand will make an environmental claim without backing it up or providing a way for it to be verified. Example: labeling a product “energy efficient” without evidence or data to prove why ❌ Vagueness - A claim is barely defined (lots of buzzwords) or too broad to have any real meaning or accountability. Example: A “recycled” label with no specification of how much if it is made of recycled material or what kind of material it is. ❌ Irrelevance - A truthful claim that is unimportant to the actual product. Or bragging about doing the bare minimum. Example: Using a “CFC-Free” label despite that CFCs were legally banned so no one is using them. Using leafy/natural imagery to associate itself with eco-friendliness but not actually make an effort to be “green.” ❌ Lesser of evils - When a “green” label is applied to an inherently harmful product, making the product a better choice in what is already a harmful category (sometimes necessary but like putting a bandaid on a wound). Example: Organic cigarettes or green insecticides. ❌ Fibbing - Claims that are downright lies, often a misuse or misrepresentation of a certification. Example: Using “certified organic” with no actual certification. Claiming a product is something that it isn’t or isn’t entirely. Most instances of greenwashing will be some form of the above. Be on the lookout for these practices if you’re wondering whether or not a brand is using greenwashing! If you want to help each other understand greenwashing, comment an example you’ve seen of greenwashing and which form you think it is— let’s talk it out! Being able to understand how it looks with real world examples helps us to avoid it.