The market for sustainable goods has skyrocketed within recent years and due to the high coverage of many issues such as climate change, the protection of the environment is front of mind for many consumers. Now, more than ever, consumers have been minded to do business with companies that exhibit this green philosophy and contribute to this environmentally centered social responsibility.
Forty-eight percent of all US consumers have indicated their desire to change their consumption habits to save the environment. In 2018, these consumers spent about 130 billion dollars on sustainable consumer goods alone. The Caribbean continues to make impactful progress in the area of sustainability and continues to encourage its citizens to make sustainable and conscious decisions.
Companies have clearly recognized the importance and benefits of manufacturing environmentally friendly products and supporting environmentally centered causes. However, while some companies can be said to talk the talk, they fail to walk the walk. They do this by giving the impression that they are in concert with these ideas when they aren't. This is called 'greenwashing', a term that is defined by Business News Daily (BND) as when a company or organization spends more time on marketing themselves as environmentally friendly than on minimizing their environmental impact. BND goes onto call this a deceitful advertising gimmick that is intended to mislead consumers who prefer to buy goods and services from environmentally conscious brands.
Greenwashing is becoming increasingly common and has taken on many forms. From fashion companies claiming that their clothing was made from non-animal materials to food and skincare manufacturers boasting of creating plant-based or chemical-free products when they have not done so. The most central concern as it relates to greenwashing is that it tricks people into making unsustainable decisions. Decisions which in turn could pose a threat to the environment and even the public's health.
Well – we know of the problem and its effects, but – whose problem is it? And where does the solution lie?
Many believe that the solution to greenwashing is exposing dishonest brands, rendering them unethical, or even boycotting them all together, as was the case with many popular brands like H&M, Aveeno, and Nivea.
But has the fact that these brands have been called out for their unethical actions, and have only been called out for their unethical actions enough? Does this disallow for any real or legal action to be taken? And even so, should any real or legal action be taken? Does not the consumer purchase at their own risk?
If you were to ask the writer, she would argue that the consumer is merely the leaf on the tree when it comes to this matter. Firstly because the sale transaction happens too quickly and too often for the consumer to be bothered to carry out a thorough investigation as to what is sustainable and to what is not. Secondly (and simply), because the consumer should not carry the burden of such investigations rather the entity that gatekeeps the relationship between the manufacturer and the consumer, what is known in most Caribbean countries as the Fair Trade Commission.
The Commission's duty is to protect the interest of the consumer by stopping unfair, deceptive, or fraudulent practices in the marketplace. However, The Commission seems to place most of its focus on a product's price and quality. Truth in advertising needs to go beyond the aforementioned factors to include all other factors that encourage 21st-century consumers to make a purchase such as a company's reputation and of course, how sustainable a product may be.
The Commission's tasks ought to be executed zealously, and with a degree of strictness. This would certainly reduce the ever-increasing instances of Greenwashing within the region.
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