Nine in 10 at U.N. Climate Change Conference Believe Greenwashing is a Problem

BALI, Indonesia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nine of 10 delegates and participants attending the U.N. Climate Change Conference believe companies are “greenwashing,” according to a survey conducted by EnviroMedia Social Marketing, Inc.

“We’re calling for an end to greenwashing”

In the survey, 46 of 54 randomly selected respondents agreed with the statement, “Some companies are advertising products and services with environmental claims that could be considered false, unsubstantiated and/or unethical.”

“It would not have been much of a surprise to see that kind of response from American or EU constituents, but we were really surprised to see that strong a response from the global community, including many developing countries,” said EnviroMedia President Kevin Tuerff.

Survey respondents represented 31 countries on six continents and included representatives of business, government and non-governmental organizations.

What in the World is Going on With Green Marketing?

EnviroMedia, a 10-year-old U.S.-based social marketing firm that works solely on environmental and public health issues, is calling on consumers around the globe to send examples of both good and bad green marketing campaigns to its new Web site, www.greenwashingindex.com. Co-founders Kevin Tuerff and Valerie Davis are encouraging consumers to submit TV, print or online environmental ads for the public to rank on the new "EnviroMedia Greenwashing Index."

“We’re calling for an end to greenwashing,” said EnviroMedia CEO Valerie Davis.

“Awareness of greenwashing is starting to catch on — just like consumer concerns about climate change have in 2007. This new Web site is the world’s first interactive online forum for educating consumers on the criteria for recognizing greenwashing. It’s our hope consumers will know greenwashing when they see it, and that this will compel companies to strive for true green improvements that make their environmental marketing more genuine.”

EnviroMedia will reveal a compilation of the consumer greenwashing submissions and illustrate how consumers believe the ads stack up on its Greenwashing Index on Jan. 7, a day before the U.S. Federal Trade Commission holds its "Eco in The Market" forum in Washington, D.C., to address green advertising claims. The FTC recently announced it will accelerate by one year a review of its environmental marketing guidelines, due to a rapid rise in green advertising.