By Dan Estabrook-Aug 7, 2008 (TNN)
I read an interesting exchange today between Seventh Generation CEO Jeffrey Hollender and green guru Joel Makower. The two have had dialogue on the subject of greenwashing. Mr. Hollender wrote:
But to the matter at hand: how bad is greenwashing? Joel argues that greenwashing scouts, “have left many companies confused and conflicted, unwilling to talk about what they’re doing right, however imperfect, for fear that such communications will brand them with the G-word. As a result, many companies I’ve talked to have clammed up, keeping their green initiatives largely to themselves…” Sorry, I don’t have any sympathy for companies that can’t handle criticism. Is Joel beginning to sound like a corporate apologist?
Mr. Makower responded:
Transparency, as you point out, is key. I couldn’t agree more. Yes, there are more than a few companies that just don’t get it — that are trying to put green lipstick on a pig by making environmental marketing claims that far outweigh the size of their efforts. (This includes many smaller companies, who all too frequently claim that we can “save the earth” by buying their organic socks, hemp soaps, or whatever. They’re all good people making quality products, but their green marketing claims are sometimes outlandish, to say the least.) But for every company that doesn’t get it, there are many more that are moving forward, however imperfectly. To dismiss every big company effort and statement as a “corporate disinformation campaign” needlessly tars both the leaders and the laggards with the same brush — and insults every earnest environmental professional in those companies who are trying — often against significant odds — to move the needle inside his or her company.
To which Mr. Hollender responded:
Joel— Thanks for your thoughtful response. We can’t resolve here the question of how to balance praise with criticism. But I do encourage you to reconsider some of your thinking. You write, “Should we beat up [big companies] or cheer them on? I vote for the latter… .” That’s where you and I differ. I vote for both. When it comes to instilling a sustainable ethos at the very core of their DNA, all companies (including Seventh Generation) are works in progress. So we would be wise to keep the carrot and the stick close at hand. That means acknowledging companies when they genuinely do right by the environment and quickly calling them out when they do wrong. If we don’t expect more from big companies, they won’t achieve more. Both Al Gore (in his recent speech on the energy crisis) and James Gustave Speth (in his excellent new book, The Bridge at the Edge of the World) make it very clear: incremental change is a woefully inadequate response to the challenges we face. The stakes are too high and the time is too short to cut any company some slack. To put a twist on that old saying, some companies change when they see the light. But recent history shows that more change when they feel the heat. I look forward to continuing this conversation when we next cross paths. –Jeffrey
You can read the entire exchange here.
I don’t know. Shouldn’t these guys pick up the phone and make up? On the subject of greenwashing, they are both right. As consumers, we need to hold companies accountable to their claims while, at the same time, make our purchasing decisions based on this accountability. It’s often difficult to see through all the marketing slogans to make sense of it all.
Excuse me. I need to clean my sustainably-produced desk with a green Method cleaning product and then sort my recycling by aluminum versus glass. And then, I need to wash my Prius with waterless car wash. Later!
Photo: Joel Makower via TreeHugger