‘Greenwashing’ no longer enough for businesses

July 28, 2010

There was a great article on MSNBC.com the other day on greenwashing.  In it the writer talks about the implications the oil spill in the Gulf has had on companies who have promoted themselves as ‘Green’.  The article looks at the transition BP took going from British Petroleum to BP and using the pitch of Beyond Petroleum and using lots of visuals that made consumers think of BP as a Green Energy provider.  The Gulf of Mexico oil spill has caused many people to step back and question the green claims by businesses like BP.

The article also points out that research has shown that consumers don’t respond simply because something is environmentally friendly. “Being green in and of itself isn’t a differentiator except with a small group of consumers,” says Joel Makower, executive editor of GreenBiz.com and author of “Strategies for the Green Economy.” “Green succeeds only to the extent that it means better — it’s cheaper to buy, it operates better, it lasts longer, it’s cooler for my image. People do want to do the right thing, but they don’t want to go out of their way to do that. They love ‘change’ when it’s a noun; they hate it when it’s a verb.” (Entrepreneur.com)

To read the rest of the article  click here.