According to the UN, by misleading the public to believe that a company or other entity is doing more to protect the environment than it is, greenwashing promotes false solutions to the climate crisis that distract from and delay concrete and credible action.”

Climate change is a real and undeniable threat to our entire civilization. The effects are already visible and will be catastrophic unless we act now.

We cannot say that emissions will be halved in the next six years or that we will reach net-zero by 2050 while we offer oil and gas subsidies, invest tens of billions of dollars in new fossil fuel supplies, and allow environmentally destructive activities.

As discussed previously at IN-SIGHTS, public pension plans continue to invest in climate-damaging corporations. As individuals, we end up financing activities that will make Earth unlivable.

We should block lobbying activities that minimize the urgent need to address climate change, and we should penalize these tactics:

• Claiming to be on track to reduce a company’s polluting emissions to net zero when no credible plan is actually in place.
• Being purposely vague or non-specific about a company’s operations or materials used.
• Applying intentionally misleading labels such as “green” or “eco-friendly,” which do not have standard definitions and can be easily misinterpreted.
• Implying that a minor improvement has a major impact or promoting a product that meets the minimum regulatory requirements as if it is significantly better than the standard.
• Emphasizing a single environmental attribute while ignoring other impacts.
• Claiming to avoid illegal or non-standard practices that are irrelevant to a product.
• Communicating the sustainability attributes of a product in isolation of brand activities (and vice versa) – e.g. a garment made from recycled materials that is produced in a high-emitting factory that pollutes the air and nearby waterways.