Greenwashing

Greenwashing Culture examines the complicity of culture with our environmental crisis. Through its own carbon footprint, the promotion of image-friendly environmental credentials for celebrities, and the mutually beneficial engagement with big industry polluters, Toby Miller argues that culture has become an enabler of environmental criminals to win over local, national, and international communities. Topics include: the environmental liabilities involved in digital and print technologies used by cultural institutions and their consumers; Hollywood's 'green celebrities' and the immense ecological impact of their jet-setting lifestyles and filmmaking itself; high profile sponsorship deals between museums and oil and gas companies, such as BP's sponsorship of Tate Britain; radical environmental reform, via citizenship and public policy, illustrated by the actions of Greenpeace against Shell's sponsorship of Lego. This is a thought-provoking introduction to the harmful impact of greenwashing. It is essential reading for students of cultural studies and environmental studies, and those with an interest in environmental activism.

Examines the underlying symbolic dimensions of corporate environmentalism, helping readers to separate useful environmental information from empty corporate spin.

Greenwashing: Foundations and Emerging Research on Corporate Sustainability and Deceptive Communication examines the understanding of greenwashing, provides a systematic review of available literature review, and reflects on theoretical approaches and research trends.

The sustainability trend of recent years is reflected in society's growing environmental awareness and the increasing promotion of green products and services in the market. The flip side is that most advertisements and green branding originate from companies that still have a negative impact on the environment. Therefore, it is necessary to understand how greenwashing marketing campaigns are perceived despite increasing environmental awareness in society. This study answers how greenwashing is perceived, whether the perception differs depending on the degree of environmental consciousness, and which effects the perception has. In order to answer these questions, a qualitative study via expert interviews with participants belonging to Gen Z has been conducted, making specific reference to the "Conscious Spring" greenwashing campaign by H&M. The qualitative content analysis showed that the majority of participants recognized greenwashing through misleading word choice and contradictory actions that are advertised in the campaign. Nevertheless, there were also interviewees who were misled by the campaign. The campaign had an effect on the participants' attitudes towards the brand, both on their feelings and beliefs about the brand, as well as on their behavioral intentions. The findings are largely used to understand the advertising impact of greenwashing, but they will also be helpful for sustainable clothing companies in creating green campaigns or for NGOs working to combat greenwashing and educate consumers.

Saving the planet is big business. Realising this, savvy companies are hopping on the sustainability bandwagon. Some may have altruistic ends in mind, but most want to make a quick buck. As ethical spending and consumer options increase, greenwashing is not only proliferating—it’s becoming harder to discern. But how is someone at the supermarket supposed to decipher all this? In The Great Greenwashing, John Pabon pulls no punches in arming consumers and business professionals with the tools they need to educate themselves, filter out the nonsense from the truth, and make a positive impact.

Going green is the new black for big business. But how real is the climate-friendly revolution that's being advertised? Toyota reckons Mother Nature drives a Prius, Ford wants us to 'Join the Green Revolution', and McDonald's has painted its famous golden arches green. Facebook has even 'friended' Greenpeace. But are big brands and the celebrities endorsing them really as green as they claim? In Greenwash, in the tradition of Fast Food Nation and No Logo, Guy Pearse looks behind the corporate façade - and what he finds will startle you. Nothing is sacred and no one is safe from scrutiny in this exposé of carbon scams: not the Prius or the Nissan LEAF, not the World Wildlife Fund or Earth Hour, not Oprah or Leonardo DiCaprio. For consumers trying to shop the planet green, Greenwash is a wake-up call. It's also an entertaining and practical book that helps consumers to pick the truly green businesses from the greenwashers and to demand a higher environmental standard from all. 'Guy Pearse travels the sewers of misinformation to show us exactly how, from banks to airlines, there's a growth industry in green horseshit. But, after hosing himself off, Pearse also presents us with a far more thoughtful analysis than I've read in other exposés of greenwashing.' --Raj Patel, author of Stuffed and Starved and the New York Times bestseller The Value of Nothing 'Before I read Greenwash I thought I could no longer be shocked by the skulduggery of the marketers. How wrong I was. Read Greenwash to be reminded why advertising is called the dark art and how marketing has become the most destructive force on the planet.' --Clive Hamilton, author of Affluenza and Requiem for a Species '[Greenwash] contains some brilliant exposés of capital scamming the unwary consumer, giving them a green hoodwink while continuing opposite practices elsewhere.' --Adelaide Review 'Guy Pearse's welcome book reveals the difficulty of judging the benefits and real environmental costs of the way we live.' --David Suzuki 'If you want to know how to pick the true greenies from the fakers, this book is for you.' --Green Lifestyle

Professional sports promote their green credentials and yet remain complicit in our global environmental crisis Sports are responsible for significant carbon footprints through stadium construction and energy use, player and spectator travel, and media coverage. The impact of sports on climate change is further compounded by sponsorship deals with the gas and petroleum industries—imbuing those extractive corporations with a positive image by embedding them within the everyday pleasure of sport. Toby Miller argues that such activities amount to "greenwashing". Scrutinizing motor racing, association football, and the Olympics, Miller weighs up their environmental policies, their rhetoric of conservation and sustainability, and their green credentials. The book concludes with the role of green citizenship and organic fan activism in promoting pro-environmental sports. This is a must-read for students and researchers in media, communications, sociology, cultural studies, and environmental studies.