Greenwashing
What is Greenwashing?
Packaging in green and natural colors, a concrete marketing campaign, a virtuous slogan: greenwashing is infiltrating our society, seducing, and deceiving consumers... and it's working! Present in many sectors such as cosmetics, food, and the textile industry, this widespread marketing practice manipulates customers and overshadows "true" green brands.
Greenwashing, derived from the word "green" and the word "brainwashing," consists of "greening" the image of a product or brand. It is primarily focused on pro-environmental practices and the product's environmental benefits, which, in reality, do not exist. The only investment that has actually been made is in so-called "green" advertising, not in concrete actions to protect the environment.
On the cosmetics side...
This process is very common in the cosmetics industry. Indeed, polluting and synthetic components are hidden beneath packaging decorated with plants, natural colors, and a name that is trusted.
The deception involves several tricks, the most well-known of which is the "paraben-free" label, written in large letters on the packaging. But if the product doesn't contain this preservative, what is the paraben replaced with? If it's a natural preservative, which won't be an endocrine disruptor, perfect! If it's a barbaric chemical replacement molecule, such as MIT (methylisothiazolinone), should the product still be avoided?
...And fashion
Greenwashing also exists in the textile industry. Take H&M, for example, which offers its customers the option of returning their old clothes to the store in exchange for a voucher. This recycling concept could only be attractive if the brand followed through with its thinking. However, all the clothing collected over an entire year is equivalent to only one day of sales for the brand. And the brand is careful not to tell its customers that it burns nearly 12 tons of new, unsold clothing per year!
Such waste betrays their semblance of ethics. We are therefore far from the "ethical" commitments proclaimed by brands in their advertising campaigns.
In short, it is very difficult to know how to separate fact from fiction, especially if we take into account the fact that, sometimes, the organic or natural ingredients touted by brands are indeed present, but in very small quantities...
One way to navigate this is to trust reputable labels. The other option is to look for brands that have nothing to hide and operate with complete transparency, like Jules & Jenn!
To become more knowledgeable on the subject, don't hesitate to watch the documentary "The Green Illusion," which has just been released in theaters in France, and which reveals the behind-the-scenes of greenwashing!
