Being a better corporate business has never been as challenging, or as important as it is now. Even small startups have to consider this as they begin building their brand. With major social drivers like globalization and climate change, the scope of environmental concerns has widened, and these new issues are starting to affect consumers purchasing decisions. This is good news for the small guys, as they can move quickly to implement new ideas on minimizing their environmental impact. But how these products and companies address consumer’s environmental concerns greatly affects how well the green products translate to market success.
What is greenwashing?
Everybody is rushing to position themselves as being “green”. Greenwashing can be as simple as changing the name of a product or picture to convey a more environmentally friendly image, like placing a few leafy trees on a bottle of environmentally damaging chemicals. Often times significantly more money and time is put into advertising green by companies than is actually invested in researching and implementing sustainable practices.
Be wary of this as you begin branding your company. Consumers are a savvy bunch and you want to be absolutely sure that whatever efforts you are undertaking are backed up by solid facts and research. If not, you look dishonest, or even worst, ignorant.
How to address greenwashing
Let your product’s benefits speak first and any environmental claim follow it up.
Author: Jake Cook
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