Many brands are aware of the growing consumer expectations of eco-responsibility and have taken a “greener” approach. But as an English NGO points out, some of them focus their strategy mainly on greenwashing and ‘green’ promises.
“Environmentally friendly”, “recyclable”, “biosourced” or even “upcycled”. How many times have you seen this kind of information on the plastic packaging of a product you just bought? A marketing promise intended to relieve the consumer’s conscience… But sometimes above all reflects the desire of certain brands to cleanse themselves of the harmful impact of their packaging on the planet, according to a new report.
The report, published by the English NGO “Changing Markets Foundation”, identifies ten multinational companies accused of having entered greenwashing by broadcasting misleading advertisements aimed at conveying the idea that the production of their products is designed. to combat plastic pollution.
“The industry likes to brag about having green credentials with little substance on the one hand, while on the other they perpetuate the plastic crisis. We condemn greenwashing so the world can see that deliberate action has created a market saturated with false claims”explains to the newspaper the guard George Harding-Rolls, campaign director of the Changing Markets Foundation.
The study provides very concrete examples. She specifically mentions the clothing brand Skims by Kim Kardachian and his compostable underwear guaranteed “without plastic”. However, if you look more closely at the label, you can see in the fine print that the product contains low-density polyethylene, a type 4 plastic (LDPE).
Same chorus at Coca Cola : as the NGO author of the report points out, the famous beverage brand “Spent millions promoting an innovation that claims the bottles are made from 25% marine plastic, but don’t forget to mention that the company is the world’s largest plastic polluter”†
The famous candies menthos promote cardboard packaging… but the latter is actually said to be made of aluminum and plastic, a composite material that makes recycling of these packaging impossible.
And what about the English supermarket chain tescothat offers its customers plastic packaging “recyclable”but on the condition that these are reported by the concern of consumers in department stores? “Even then, they are unlikely to be recycled. Instead, they will almost certainly be exported, incinerated or landfilled.”says the report of the Changing Markets Foundation.
Among the effective solutions to hunt for plastic, Changing Markets recommends: “the implementation of closed-loop recycling systems and effective deposit systems”†
(ETX Daily Up)