For more than a decade, protecting the well-being of our planet has become a number one priority for the majority of the world. However, with this new adaptation comes a consequence called greenwashing.
Greenwashing is when a company portrays itself as an environmentally friendly brand mainly for marketing purposes. For example, a makeup company can say their packaging is environmentally friendly to entice more consumers to buy their product, when in fact it is made of harsh plastics that take years to break down. That is why it is so important to do your research on a company before buying their product.
According to Feedough.com’s article on greenwashing, there are two different types of ways people ‘greenwash’. The first is when a company claims credit for an eco-friendly method that was primarily used to cut budget for the company. For example, if a company pulls back on the use of packing peanuts, they can portray that as ‘going green’ when in fact they are actually out for their own interests and still using a highly toxic packing method. The second form of greenwashing is when the company lies about the ‘eco-friendliness’ of a product, i.e. using the color green and showing a certification from an eco-friendly company that’s not in fact that eco-friendly, i.e, ecomaniacs, is the most extreme form of greenwashing.
At appreciate, our number one priority is to be as transparent with our customers as possible. We are creating a world in which we help people appreciate the items they own by encouraging them to buy fewer things with the goal of reducing global waste by 1% over 25 years. We believe in a circular economy and getting maximum use out of the items we already own, rather than encouraging aggressive over-consumption.
