How to Avoid Greenwashing Your Business

www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26390891/from/ET/

Article on how sincerity leads to success in the emerging world of green marketing, and how your consumers WILL CATCH YOU if you try and trick them.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with marketing the fact that your business is green. However, there is definitely a problem with marketing your business as green if it isn’t. Not only is it dishonest and totally antithetical to the entire green movement, it is also bad for your business in the long run.

I just read a really interesting article on how to make sure you are not green washing when you market your business. You can click through to read the whole thing, but here is a nice summary:

Definition of Greenwashing:

Dirty business: When a carbon-centric business responsible for significant greenhouse gas emissions touts a particular green program or product as representative of its core business values.
Ad bluster: When an advertising program overplays the relative significance of a "green" program or product compared to its actual business practices.
Political spin: Talking green but lobbying for anti-green legislation
It's the law, stupid: When a business takes credit for actions that are mandated by law.

I think the fourth one is my favorite by the way. You have to give credit to people who actually think they can get away with that!

How to track Greenwashing:

Follow the money:
Track membership: Which special interest groups does a company belong to?
Test for access to information: If you can’t find information on something, chances are they are hiding it for a reason
Performance: This is the tricky part. Some people have zero tolerance for companies that fail to strictly adhere to sustainability principals. Most of us understand that sustainability is a work in progress – as long as we see a company setting good sustainability goals and moving in the right direction, we don’t usually tear them down for marketing that.

3 Lessons for potential green marketers:

Don't BS: Consumers will not forget or forgive those who betray their trust with Design consumer-driven sustainable business practices: Sustainability is a grassroots phenomenon. Ask your customers what they want to see.
Reach out: Don’t just stop at consumers Get feedback from associates, , vendors and leaders to develop sustainable products and practices. You can’t market yourself as sustainable until you have the track record to prove it!