Post by account_disabled on Feb 22, 2024 4:49:31 GMT -5
Now it is official, along with words like plant-based , supply chain and oat-milk , the term Greenwash enters the North American dictionary. According to the Boston Globe , the latter term may have been coined by a researcher in 1986, in an essay describing the hotel industry and its misleading efforts to promote towel reuse.
Greenwash was already considered in the Concise Oxford English Dictionary as: "Disinformation spread by an organization to present an environmentally responsible public image." However, its recent addition—and environment-focused update—to the Merriam-Webster North American dictionary confirms collaborative efforts to combat it.
Greenwash to North American Dictionary
With its addition to the dictionary, it was confirmed that Iran Mobile Number List Greenwash could be used as a verb, defining it as "to make something (a product, policy or practice) appear more respectful or less harmful to the environment than it really is" or "to deceive (to someone) through Greenwash .” Likewise, it can be used as a noun, meaning "something (a claim or an action) that is intended to make a product, policy, activity, etc. appear more ecological and less harmful than it really is.
In recent years there has been an avalanche of corporations and companies that have been carrying out greenwash actions . "Where before they tried to deny that the problem existed, now they try to pretend that they are part of the solution," said the co-founder of the environmental group 350.
executive-performing-environmental-analysis
The evidence is abundant, including a recent report, published by the non-profit organization InfluenceMap , noting that, after analyzing thousands of public communication materials from five major oil companies, 60% of them contained at least one misleading claim. .
"These [oil] companies talk about reducing emissions and making the energy transition, but at the same time they continue to invest heavily in new fossil fuels."
Faye Holder, InfluenceMap Program Manager.
But fossil fuel industries, such as oil and gas, are not the only sector singled out for Greenwashing . Recent studies have shown that it is a growing problem in other industries as well, from cosmetics to aviation.
This is the end of Greenwash
As deceptive practices regarding sustainable and responsible actions become more common in companies and industries, efforts to combat it appear to be closing ranks.
Regulators on both sides of the Atlantic (US and EU) are looking to introduce new rules and standards to help crack down on erroneous environmental claims made by companies.
The addition of Greenwash to the North American dictionary, along with other words that have also grown in popularity, solidifies its meaning and makes it easier to recognize and understand practices disguised as sustainable when they are not.
For example, "plant-based " is defined as a product "made or derived from plants" or "consisting primarily or entirely of foods (such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, oils, and beans) derived from plants."
Similarly, "oat-milk" has been included in the dictionary under the definition of "a liquid made from ground oats and water that is usually fortified (with calcium and vitamins) and used as a milk substitute." The definition could prove significant, given that some dairy industry groups have campaigned to prevent plant-based milks from describing themselves as "milk", arguing it could confuse consumers.
Greenwash was already considered in the Concise Oxford English Dictionary as: "Disinformation spread by an organization to present an environmentally responsible public image." However, its recent addition—and environment-focused update—to the Merriam-Webster North American dictionary confirms collaborative efforts to combat it.
Greenwash to North American Dictionary
With its addition to the dictionary, it was confirmed that Iran Mobile Number List Greenwash could be used as a verb, defining it as "to make something (a product, policy or practice) appear more respectful or less harmful to the environment than it really is" or "to deceive (to someone) through Greenwash .” Likewise, it can be used as a noun, meaning "something (a claim or an action) that is intended to make a product, policy, activity, etc. appear more ecological and less harmful than it really is.
In recent years there has been an avalanche of corporations and companies that have been carrying out greenwash actions . "Where before they tried to deny that the problem existed, now they try to pretend that they are part of the solution," said the co-founder of the environmental group 350.
executive-performing-environmental-analysis
The evidence is abundant, including a recent report, published by the non-profit organization InfluenceMap , noting that, after analyzing thousands of public communication materials from five major oil companies, 60% of them contained at least one misleading claim. .
"These [oil] companies talk about reducing emissions and making the energy transition, but at the same time they continue to invest heavily in new fossil fuels."
Faye Holder, InfluenceMap Program Manager.
But fossil fuel industries, such as oil and gas, are not the only sector singled out for Greenwashing . Recent studies have shown that it is a growing problem in other industries as well, from cosmetics to aviation.
This is the end of Greenwash
As deceptive practices regarding sustainable and responsible actions become more common in companies and industries, efforts to combat it appear to be closing ranks.
Regulators on both sides of the Atlantic (US and EU) are looking to introduce new rules and standards to help crack down on erroneous environmental claims made by companies.
The addition of Greenwash to the North American dictionary, along with other words that have also grown in popularity, solidifies its meaning and makes it easier to recognize and understand practices disguised as sustainable when they are not.
For example, "plant-based " is defined as a product "made or derived from plants" or "consisting primarily or entirely of foods (such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, oils, and beans) derived from plants."
Similarly, "oat-milk" has been included in the dictionary under the definition of "a liquid made from ground oats and water that is usually fortified (with calcium and vitamins) and used as a milk substitute." The definition could prove significant, given that some dairy industry groups have campaigned to prevent plant-based milks from describing themselves as "milk", arguing it could confuse consumers.