Green Roots or Green Paint?

I have to admit 2008 was something I thought I would never see within the environmental field, after more than a decade of working as an environmental professional the holy grail had been discovered: Customers were pushing organizations to own up to their environmental performance.

Not that this wasn’t always true, people cared, but this was mainstream. The outlook for 2009 is looking like we will see even more despite economic concerns.

This is an eco-marketing utopia, and an environmental professional’s worst nightmare.

The sheer volume and speed with which companies were able to respond to the push for environmental transparency is nerve racking.

Let me explain.

Anyone who has ever been a part of any project to promote change knows the issues that will need to be addressed when asking people to do something differently. People resist change no matter how good it is: it scares them.

If a company of eight-thousand people were last month off the radar entirely for being environmentally conscious are suddenly marketed as the most eco friendly organization in their field I would need to ask two questions: What is the comparison, and how deep does this change really go.

Okay, since I am about to undergo a criticism of green marketing I want to stop and say two good things about all this.  All eco-friendly change no matter how small is a good thing. If environmental performance has truly been institutionalized in to a business they should market those achievements with pride, as long as they keep working at it.

True culture change takes time.

This brings me squarely back to the nightmare. A professional in any field can tell the value of the others in it by the depth of their knowledge, and the quality of their work. 

I have on more than one occasion, with different companies, been on both the receiving end of poor service, and been the third or fourth service provider trying to fix the mistakes of my predecessors. With this eco-transformation well underway there is so much information on the market that it is difficult for the everyday consumer to tell the good from the bad, since right now it all seems good.

The depth of the quality of this performance will soon be addressed as greenwash marketing backlashes on those who only make surface changes.

Quick aside: Greenwashing is the shrewd advertising of something as environmentally friendly through word choices or uneven comparisons, it may be true but it is often of little environmental benefit.  

Having seen this effect too many times before I am worried.  Less than substantial changes made by less than expert consultants can sidetrack an organization from building a strong foundation for environmental performance.  Some companies may enjoy immediate economic benefits from quick fixes to easy problems, but may experience setbacks as deep rooted companies show real performance. This will in turn make it more difficult for them to amend their reputation and catch up to those making a real difference.

Know your customer, know your business, and know your consultant. True environmental sustainability runs deeper than the recycling bin.