News & Events

Greenwash campaigns 'mislead consumers'

Date posted:

30th April 2008

Misleading marketing could be harming the environment, it has been claimed.

According to the Greenwash Guide published today by communications company Futerra, advertising agencies are not doing enough to ensure that the claims in the campaigns they produce are not exaggerated, reports Brand Republic.

The research found that only one of the UK's top agencies was planning to implement green policy within client relationships.

Chief executive of Futerra Solitaire Townsend said that greenwashing - a term used to describe the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service - is prevalent in advertising, which she says is worrying.

"Greenwash isn't simply annoying; it's dangerous. During a time of economic belt-tightening, if green products and services are to survive, then people have to trust them," she said, according to Brand Republic.

However, some respondents to the study argued that it is difficult to implement such policies in a client-led industry.

Futerra was founded in 2001 and aims to increase the corporate responsibility and sustainability of businesses.

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