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You are here: Backpacker Resources > Travel Tips > Greenwashing

Greenwashing

A few months ago I wrote that backpackers are travelling consumers and I said that we can use our purchasing power to make informed buying decisions. At the time I was talking about souvenir shopping, but you could extend that idea to almost any purchase. Most of us think we’re confident consumers and that we know a good buy when we see one but these days, advertisers know that green is the trend and if they can make money from it, they will. In the hope of getting you to part with your cash, some slippery sellers are giving their goods unsubstantiated green claims. This fakery is called greenwashing and this month I’m going to show you how you can outsmart this gimmick and put your pennies towards products that deliver the goods.

Twist and Spin

From an advertiser’s perspective backpackers are walking wallets and as if being boiled down to hard currency wasn’t insulting enough, everyone wants a chunk of your change. Ever savvy, some advertisers know that they can no longer lure you in with the lowest price. They know that backpackers are the idealistic type and that generally ‐ we’re ready to support a good cause. Unfortunately however some unscrupulous characters are preying on that just to get at our cash. They use marketing tricks to give their products a false green glow.

With Greenwash, it’s all in the spin, so a shady salesperson will know how to twist their product in order to reel you in. Greenwash comes in all sizes. It can be big ‐ like when an airline advertises that they plant enough trees to totally offset their carbon footprint so actually, flying with them is totally OK for the environment. Yeah right. Or it can be small ‐ like when a tourism operator promises eco‐friendly tours but doesn’t say exactly how they’re any more green or ethical than their competitors.

Fight the Fakery

If all this spin is making you dizzy don’t worry. You’ll feel better once you can see through the murky haze of Greenwash. Look out for buzz words and fluffy language. If you see something being marketed as ’green’, ’eco‐friendly’ or ’sustainable’, be sure to take a closer look. Watch out for unintelligible jargon, suggestive pictures such as flowers blooming from a car’s exhaust pipe and outright lies. If you can’t find any proof to back up a product’s claim, be wary. If you’re purchasing a eco‐friendly tourism service, ask the operator for some proof. If you’re suspicious about it, vote with your wallet and take your cash elsewhere. If it’s a product, do more than just look at the label ‐ have a look at the company behind it. What are their corporate practices?

Going Global Against Greenwash

Some greenwash is pretty sophisticated and not always easy to see through and that’s why some countries ‐ like the UK, the USA, Australia, France and Norway ‐ are doing their best to regulate advertising codes in order to filter this out. These ever tightening rules ensure that shoppers are spending on products or services that deliver on their ethical, sustainable or environmentally friendly promises.

Pennies are precious, so don’t waste them on something that doesn’t deliver. It’s great to be green, but it’s bad to be ripped off ‐ and a rip‐off is exactly what greenwashing is. So before you make your next purchase, look behind the label to make sure that your money is going exactly where you want it to go.

‐ Jackie Reddy