John,

Corporations are lying to the American public about their commitment to our environment.

A recent review of 500 company websites found 40 percent of “sustainability” claims are intentionally misleading. We’re not surprised that the corporations pushing to absolve themselves of responsibility in the fight to end climate change are being dishonest. The question now is — how can we tell when they are?

Seeing through the “greenwashing” — when companies make vague promises about climate and sustainability to improve their public image — is a daily challenge for SEEC members’ work. And it might be a part of your daily life, too, as you navigate the brands and products competing for your dollar. Here’s five helpful tips on how to cut through the noise and see beneath the veneer of greenwashing:

1. Net-zero pledges can be misleading. Often, companies will make these pledges without accounting for their full carbon output, including that of subsidiary companies or companies in which they invest. Or they’ll set their net-zero pledges for way off in the future without taking any further action in the present.
2. Green stamps can be meaningless. At this point, we’ve all seen stickers or stamps on products that indicate they are “greener” than others. These can frequently be misleading, and often are a product of the marketing department rather than objective science.
3. Parent companies are usually to blame. Claims of climate-friendly manufacturing and practices for specific products might be true — but they’re also probably obscuring a larger pattern of environmental harm done by that same product’s parent company.
4. Recycling is not the panacea corporations want us to think it is. Companies will occasionally announce flashy recycling initiatives. But research has shown recycling plastics often goes awry in the hands of corporations. Often, plastic still ends up being incinerated or thrown in landfills.
5. Relying on carbon offsets is fraught. Far too many carbon offset programs make big claims without having verifiable data to back it up. Relying on offsets is almost never as good as a corporation working to reduce its own emissions.

SEEC members have seen all these manipulation tactics and more in their daily work to uncover the truth of the impact large corporations have on our environment. It’s tough work, but it’s effective: With their advocacy, Congress is closer than ever to fully regulating these industries and increasing transparency. Will you join them in standing up to bad actor corporations, John, and contribute to SEEC members now so they continue this work?

Thanks, John.

SEEC PAC