'Greenwashing' is a problem. Which products are 🌱 green and communicating it effectively?

Question

Since submitting my product to the Makers Festival last week, I've been going a bit of customer discovery.
I've been talking to founders about their attitudes to green products and their willingness to adding a https://greenhabit.app badge to their sites.

There is a positive response to those that get the legitimacy of the product.  Yet, in general I sense _green fatigue_ has set in.  Those in this category are in the view that a green badge can be 'bought' simply through a donation or claimed (yet proof less) effort.

'Greenwashing' is rampant and clearly having a negative affect on attitudes in the market.

What products do you know or use, made or are making that are legitimately green?

Nik Hazell · Accepted Answer

Brewdog are mired in controversy at the moment - and I don't for a second want to downplay what's going on - but, if taken at face value, their environmental action has been significant and broad!

More broadly, it's super hard to use a one-size-fits-all "certification/stamp" type scheme - as an example, we've recently gone through the B Corp certification process. The environmental components there seemed much more targeted at factories and large workforces than at software companies...

Audrey Rampon · Answer

Can you give an example of a legitimately green product vs. a green washed one?

Nathan Challen · Answer

@cica_laure_mbappe I agree the status has improved since regulation and heavy fines have been introduced.  Her in Australia 🇦🇺 the fine is up to $6M.  Large companies and brands are big targets for both consumer scrutiny and regulatory checks.  Yet, it is the other millions of companies medium and small that would never warrant an investigation as gov't simply does not have the resources.    Thanks for Veja! they are doing it well as the green ethic and message is in every aspect, truely authentic.

Cica-Laure Mbappé · Answer

Greenwashing is limited now, brands know that they can't fake sustainable strategies and results now. I like what Veja does in terms of branding. Their LinkedIn page is transparent and they promote partnerships with other legit green brands.

Nik Hazell · Answer

@cica_laure_mbappe @emotf There's a surf company that's got brilliant branding. I love what it looks like, and I love what they say they stand for. However, in their branding, there's loads of big, polluting cars - they've literally tangled up their eco surf brand with Land Rovers, Jeeps, and Porches. It seems so stupid, and it makes me furious!

Washing Machine Repair Kuwait · Answer

"Greenwashing" is a real issue, but brands like Patagonia and Seventh Generation stand out by genuinely embracing sustainability and effectively communicating their eco-friendly practices. Look for transparency and third-party certifications to ensure authenticity. https://washingmachinerepairkuwa... We are Kuwait's leading experts in fully automatic washer and dryer repairs, with a skilled team of Indian and Pakistani technicians renowned for their service efficiency and professionalism.

Answer

Perhaps it is a lack of clarity of the "real problem" your trying to solve. Because: - green fatigue is real. More easily flipped than lack of real engagement in a community though. Flip by providing an affordable 'trusted' solution. B-corp is trusted but still too expensive. - greenwashing is rampant. 500%. even countries like mine that have a consumer reporting agency can do nothing to stop it. - plastic free certifications for both packaging and product by registered certification boards (aka JAS-ANZ) exist now. Current state is low update as price point is ridiculous. So only companies that can afford it use and they can manipulate the process if need me (e.g. a product category versus all their products) or for one product format only. Problem is they are charging ridiculous price (USD converted to local currency). https://bluestandard.com/#verify... As soon as the certification body is trying to make money out of it (like Blue Standard is) versus do it for what it is intended (increase transparency, increase trust), then the certification model wont work. As purpose and execution are not aligned. So if you can get yourself certified and charge a nominal fee for the certification, then this will work. I have just not had the time to work out the effort involved to get registered. I have helped certification companies go digital but not 'process to create'. It would be regulated else any ole joe could do it. Another pathway is build on a trust platform. For example, TrustPilot has a growing untapped potential and they are trending as less responsive to their community of users than towards. Orange Flag. Greenwashing flag like SCAM alert flag. But show transparency. How many reports and what is the unmitigated queue for reports. For example of what not do, TrustPillot in their reviews that include 'incentivized reviews'. That platform lost traction when they allowed incentivized reviews and did not provide a way for the citizen to exclude them from the results. Citizens are beyond makreting fatigued, they are over it. The switch to chatgpt from google search is the blazing red flag indicator people have had enough of marketing manipulated stuff. Especially algorithm-based aka SEO. They have had enough of anything not genuine, easily hackable, easily manipulated. The days of monetizing by advertising for rapid growth is over. Until the certification programme problem gets sorted -- the parallel workstream is 'Citizen Scientest' - aka crowdsourcing greenwash examples. Using open MapBox dashboard, similar to 'The Ocean Cleanup's' dashboard. public transparency real time. Deploying 'citizen scientests' similar to 'The Ocean Cleanup' shortly (android/IOS). Citizen Scientists is great app image - geotag - report into dashboard. Would prefer the app using aa better sdk thought (sparkscan is my preferred sdk) https://theoceancleanup.com/rese... https://apps.apple.com/nl/app/th... context: I am a zero waste fanatic and help SMEs on the circular economy

Charles Louis · Answer

It's great to see a focus on truly green products and the impact they're making. In the exterior cleaning industry, there's a clear distinction between pressure washing vs soft washing when it comes to eco-friendliness. Soft washing uses lower pressure and eco-friendly detergents, making it gentler on surfaces and the environment compared to traditional pressure washing. This method helps avoid the harsh water usage and potential surface damage that pressure washing can sometimes cause, aligning with greener practices. It's crucial that products and methods are both effective and environmentally responsible, much like the movement you're promoting with Green Habit.

Nathan Challen · Answer

@audrey_rampon Good question! An example given to me was https://handprint.tech/impact/ which looks pretty legit vs... a number of brands I'd rather not mention but you can find in articles like: https://medium.com/disruptive-design/what-is-greenwashing-how-to-spot-it-and-stop-it-c44f3d130d5

'Greenwashing' is a problem. Which products are 🌱 green and communicating it effectively?

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