Recently, the FTC updated its Green Guides on the use of product certifications and seals of approval, renewable energy claims, renewable materials claims and carbon offset” claims. The revised guidelines are intended to prevent organizations from greenwashing—the practice of disingenuously spinning their products and policies as environmentally friendly.
But these days it’s not just the FTC that is into the act of policing greenwashing. “Companies should recognize that someone is always watching,” says Robbin Good, executive VP and partner at Makovsky + Co. “It’s important that organizations go way beyond token gestures of being green, or they will be exposed.”
And in a big way. Digital platforms now have a strong role in outing bogus green claims. Two years ago, EnviroMedia Social Marketing partnered with the University of Oregon to launch GreenwashingIndex.com, an online forum that invites consumers to post and rate real green ads and messages.
A group of University of Oregon academics developed and weighted five criteria consumers can use to determine whether they believe ads and messages are greenwashing by doing any of the following:
• Misleading with words
• Misleading with visuals and/or graphics
• Making a green claim that is vague or seemingly unprovable
• Overstating or exaggerating how green the product/company/service actually is
• Leaving out or masking important information, thus making the green claim sound better than it is.
The Index site is now a popular digital watchdog that caters to the public. According to Dave Stangis, VP of CSR/sustainability at Campbell Soup Company, social media allows for real-time policing of green claims.
In fact, he has one-on-one’s with the public via Twitter and Facebook platforms—most recently when discussing the recyclability of a plastic Campbell microwavable meal cover. “In the digital environment, you really have to be authentic and know the answers to environmental questions, or you’ll get burned,” says Stangis.
FILING A CLAIM
But how does an organization, and its communicators, prevent getting burned by greenwashing claims? At Campbell and other large corporations, there’s a rigourous process to follow before a green claim can be made, and communications is deeply involved.
LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP
“We look at everything with a squinty eye, and we have to sell our lawyers on a green claim first,” says Stangis. The majority of the time, Campbell’s formal “claims review process” results in backing off of making a big claim, says Stangis. “There’s a gap between what we want to do, and what we can do,” he continues. “Can I really validate this environmental claim...does it run across an entire product line?”
The claim also has to differentiate Campbell from the competition, says Stangis, yet the company prefers to be subtle in its communications touting that fact. “We redesigned a Pepperidge Farm product carton last year, and we computed the amount of trees the new carton would save, and came up with other great metrics,” says Stangis. “In the end, we printed a very short story for kids on the carton about saving trees.”
That’s Stangis’ first piece of advice: While it’s easy to overkill your green claims, it can only get you into trouble later.
ESTABLISH GREEN REP
Trent Ross, SVP at Ipsos Public Affairs, says organizations—led by PR—need to build up their green cred over time before launching a green product or sustainability initiative.
“If people have heard about or already perceive your company of being green, when you come out with a product, there will be less questions about claims,” says Ross.
Stangis agrees with the environmental-messaging-over-time strategy, citing Ben & Jerry’s as a recent example. The ice cream maker recently had to back off claims of “all natural” ingredients. “But they’ve made their green mark on the marketplace already,” says Stangis. “So they didn’t take a huge hit on the greenwashing accusation.”
The company’s big mistake: It wasn’t able to back up its “all natural” claim, which Ross says is key to staying out of trouble. “Proof points are a big part of green initiatives,” says Ross. And making those proof points visible to key stakeholders can give you an advantage. “Coke has done a lot with sustainability, and one of the things that stands out for me is their use of hybrid electric delivery trucks,” he says. “You can see those trucks out on the road for yourself.”
SEALS OF APPROVAL
Another tactic is getting third-party endorsements of your green products and programs. Having clients wax positively on your greenness can only help, as can adhering to green standards set by enviromental organizations.
In fact, Stangis is now preparing for ULE 880, the new sustainability standard developed by Greener World Media (GWM), in partnership with Underwriters Laboratories.
The standard covers five domains, including: sustainability governance; environment; customers and suppliers; workplace; and social and community engagement.
Stangis says companies are scrambling to align themselves with these new standards.
But for smaller organizations, though, adhering to such standards aren’t necessary—yet trumpeting the right messages are. Some tips to follow include:
• Stangis: Avoid generalities. “One-word generalities cut the legs out of the realities of a product,” he says. “‘Green,’ ‘renewable,’ ‘natural’ can all cause problems.” (See sidebar for the FTC’s guidelines on some of these terms.)
• Goodman: Carefully research your claims. “You’ll have to know more about your product or program than bloggers know,” she says.
• Ross: Don’t rely solely on PR to avoid greenwashing accusations. “It’s about the business practices of a company,” he says. “So be consistently transparent about everything you do.”
So how does communications respond to a greenwashing accusation? Get out your crisis management plan. But if the accusation is true? “You just have to come clean and take your lumps,” says Goodman. PRN
CONTACT:
Robbin Goodman, rgoodman@ makovsky.com. Dave Stangis, [email protected]; Trent Ross, [email protected].
True Green: Follow the FTC’s Latest Guidelines
Looking to get a green product out into the market? Follow the FTC’s recently revised green guidelines to avoid making false green claims. “The FTC rarely comes down on a company on these rules,” says Dave Stangis, VP of CSR/sustainability at Campbell Soup Company. But the public, and your competitors, just might. Here are a few of the common green claims that the FTC has addressed in its latest revisions. A full copy of the guidelines can be found at http://www.ftc.gov/green.
• Compostable: A product or package will break down in approximately the same time as the materials with which it is composted.
• Degradable: Organizations should not make unqualified degradable claims for items destined for landfills, incinerators or recycling facilities if decomposition will not occur within one year.
• Non-Toxic: Such claims should convey that an item is non-toxic both for humans and for the environment generally.
• Renewable Energy: Organizations should not make unqualified renewable energy claims if the power used to manufacture any part of the product was derived from fossil fuels.
Nice article. It’s important to note that the new Green Guides are proposed revisions (not published, final revisions). The FTC is accepting comments until 10 December–in case anyone reading this wants to submit input.