It is evident that green is in fashion, and a lot. Green, the color of hope, is more necessary today than ever. Between climate crises, health crises and globalized chaos, this exciting color comes loaded with strength to shower us with a bit of optimism.
We are and there are many of us who use green today. Examples of this can be found in logos and brands institutional, food product packaging, curricula, publicity, environmental labels, cars, and a host of other elements. And it is that this color crosses our retina fully to go directly to the heart and tell us: green is good, green is better, green is healthy, green is nature, green is a good choice. In short, green is calm for our conscience.
The large multinationals and advertising companies are the ones behind this great little sensory and emotional game. And it is that, today, the green product is a business in exponential rise, highly profitable. But Is everything that we find under that silent motto “good”, “healthy”, “environmentally friendly” or “ecological”?
Greenwhasing is the term that takes over this doubt and comes to identify these deceptive practices who play with the environmental facelift of who they represent to introduce themselves as an environmentally friendly product or company to increase your sales, being very far from its reality the protection of the environment regarding your activity. Very obvious forms of greenwhasing are companies who invest more money in advertising that they are green than the money invested internally on sustainable or ecological practices.
The history of this term tells us dates back to the 1980s to the Fiji Islands. He was a student and environmentalist who invented this word after seeing a sign on the door of a hotel on a private island in the archipelago, where it could be read: “Save our planet, every day they use thousands of liters of water to wash towels used only once. You you choose: a towel on the towel rail says ‘I’ll use it again. a towel in the ground means ‘Please replace it’. Thanks for helping us conserve resources. planet Earth“. The poster ended with the symbol of recycling of the three green arrows. The hotel, in the middle of a natural paradise, He sent messages in protection of nature for every corner of the resort, while his business strategy was the expansion of the resort at that time. environment, something with a much greater environmental impact.
Every time we are more familiar with this term and type of practices, since large polluting companies have endorsed this color and its pro-environmental slogans, emulating companies that live in harmony with Nature. It does not take more than take a walk through the supermarket or the networks to see that everything that we buy and make appears to be “sustainable” or “environmentally friendly”. Nothing is further from reality.
Large-scale examples are multinational agrochemical and energy, food, automotive, etc., with a long history of environmental impact in our planet, which act today as an image of World Days of Land or events with great media impact and that in addition to its facelift, They take advantage of this trend of green consumption to obtain economic performance. Nothing like following mantra manuals like Going Green: How to communicate your company’s environmental commitment environmental commitment of your company) and begin to explore this new way to grow economically.
No we can ignore, however, that if this strategic line has such an effect, it is because really the Environment and a healthy and prosperous environment where living each day worries us more, despite sometimes not knowing how to incorporate this concern in our life and consumption habits, impregnated with anthropocentrism even today. It is this transition in which we find ourselves, where some make real efforts for a paradigm shift that can suppose the restoration of the natural and ecosystem balance, while others resist and take advantage to see only the business opportunity. But the reality is that, despite the fact that we are now immersed in that broth of cultivation of confusion and double games, the near future only has the name of sustainability, either by conviction or by obligation.
greenwhasing is at the height of its trajectory, Yeah; but, despite this, its days are numbered. The climate urgency, reflected in the increase in prices and costs of polluting practices previously very cheap, accompanied by new ways of understanding the economy, as well as the legislation and control that begins to be established to change these practices, mark the path of this transition. we have to go detaching ourselves from the classical vision of linear processes to integrate the glasses that give us that look of circular economy, more in tune with the natural processes and balance.
The current pandemic has put us in check; Nature has come to remind us our position in this whole interconnected and interdependent system that is the earth. And has shown us naked, has brought out our shame, our weaknesses, our vulnerabilities. has made us connect greater or lesser extent with our essence, our priorities and has given us a bath of humility It is time to base ourselves on that observation of the environment, how much wisdom gives us, and imitate the processes that Nature has worked for perfection for so many years.
Perhaps today green is not yet an unequivocal synonym of “ecological”, “better” or “healthy”; And that critical look is what we have to develop to resist, denounce and not encourage these fraudulent practices during this “ecological transition”. But perhaps also, more than ever, green is synonymous with hope. The hope that will take us to that other green so longed for and make it real.
Sara Soloaga
Naider Ecologist