Most people have probably heard of money laundering, and would not have shopped at a company that did that kind of thing. In recent years, another concept has also received a lot of attention - namely green cleaning.
As more and more people become concerned with making sustainable and green choices in everyday life, it is unfortunately some companies that take advantage of the situation by appearing to be more environmentally friendly than they really are.
Here we will take a closer look at what greenwashing is, and explain to you how you can avoid supporting it.
What is green cleaning?
Green cleaning can be defined as a misleading form of marketing where a company or its products are marketed as more sustainable than they actually are.
This makes greenwashing problematic, since you as a consumer can shop in good faith that you are paying for products or services that are sustainable. In reality, you may be buying a product that has a more negative impact on the climate or people than what you want.
How do companies do green cleaning?
There are many different forms of greenwashing, and many companies use creative methods to appear more environmentally, human or animal friendly than they are. Here are some examples of greenwashing methods:
- Environmental benefits are highlighted, while environmental disadvantages are hidden
- Use of illustrations and colors that give associations to sustainability (leaves, trees, animals, greenery, etc.) without the product actually being environmentally friendly
- Use of words that give associations to environmentally friendly solutions ("bio", "recycled", "green", "natural", "organic", "plant-based" and the like) without any basis for it
- Directly untrue or undocumented claims that the product is green and environmentally friendly
Most of us probably automatically think that a product is more environmentally friendly if the packaging or marketing uses words like "natural ingredients" or the like.
But surprisingly often it is a question of environmental fraud, and a product or service that is anything but environmentally friendly.
How can you as a customer identify greenwashing?
As a customer, it can be challenging to know whether you are facing a product or service that is actually sustainable, or whether it is a matter of greenwashing.
The Norwegian Institute for Consumer Research has researched greenwashing, and believes that it is generally too difficult for consumers to understand what is sustainable and what is not.
Perhaps the easiest and safest thing to do as an environmentally conscious consumer is to look for official environmental certifications. In the Nordic countries, for example, it is a good idea to look for the Nordic Ecolabel, as this is the official eco-label. Strict requirements are set for who receives such labeling.
Another tip is to check whether the company has documentation that proves that the product or services are sustainable.
When can products / services be referred to as «green»?
The EU has developed a taxonomy for sustainability based on the UN's sustainability goals, and this gives us a clear classification system with an overview of what can be defined as "sustainable".
The purpose of the EU taxonomy is, among other things, to make it easier for consumers to make environmentally friendly choices. If we take as our starting point the EU's definition of what is sustainable, the product or service must contribute to one or more of the EU's environmental goals. These are as follows:
- Climate change is limited
- Combating or preventing pollution
- Adaptation to climate change
- Sustainable protection and use of marine and water resources
- Protection of ecosystems and biological diversity
- Transformation into a circular economy
In the UN's sustainability goals, it is also pointed out that sustainable production is about being able to make the most of as few resources as possible. This involves, among other things, using sustainable materials, protecting the environment and using as little of the natural resources as possible.
What is the opposite of greenwashing - and how do you find these companies?
Most of us do not want to support green cleaning companies. The opposite of greenwashing is companies that can point to carefully documented environmental benefits and certifications.
If you are interested in choosing products and services that harm the environment as little as possible, it may be worthwhile to take a closer look at the company's website (or other available sources of information).
Look for companies that work actively to minimize their own climate footprint, and that have introduced concrete measures to become more sustainable. These are some of the things you should look for:
- Has the company shared a sustainability strategy?
- What concrete measures has the company taken to become more sustainable?
- Is the company aware of its own potential for improvement, and mention areas for improvement?
- Does the company have eco-labels on its products?
What is our contribution to the environment?
We at Flexistore aim to be able to offer Norway the most sustainable storage solution, and has a clear sustainability strategy, where we are also aware of our own potential for improvement. At the same time, we have introduced many concrete measures that have a positive effect on the environment.
Among concrete measures, we can mention, for example, that we use existing buildings instead of new buildings, and that we offer electric transport with XFrakt. In our sustainability strategy, you will find more information about the measures we have taken and plan to take.
