Consumers and Bloggers Don't Buy Greenwashing
GreenBiz.com

A new report from prominent pollsters Nielsen Online affirms the convictions of environmental bloggers and activists: Companies that attempt to “greenwash” a poor environmental track record with slick marketing and half-hearted sustainability initiatives are apt to face a serious backlash. The Nielsen report calls greenwashing a “failed corporate strategy” that results from a company’s lack of transparency.

Corporate environmental responsibility and sustainability are extremely hot topics on the Web, with more than 172,000 messages on “sustainability” alone logged as of December 2007 according to Nielsen. These environmentally aware bloggers are quick to point out any contradictions between a company’s environmental claims and its actions, and “greenwashing” has become a pervasive online buzzword.

According to the report, titled Sustainability Through the Eyes and Megaphones of the Blogosphere, “Bloggers are quick to condemn ‘greenwashing’ when they suspect companies misrepresent their environmental impact with aggressive PR campaigns — as spurious attempts to be ‘green.’”

Bloggers are more apt to support a company with a less-than-perfect environmental track record, provided that company doesn’t make excessive claims to the contrary. Starbucks’ persistent “lip-service” about its fair-trade coffee has its critics, while Dunkin Donuts “demure PR stance” has largely shielded it from blogger’s ire.

In your opinion, is it wrong for a company to use “green” as a marketing tool if they are not actively pursuing sound environmental policies? What if they have a sustainability plan, but don’t have the resources to fully enact it? Is intent enough to justify a change in message?