A certain degree of compassion is inherent in individuals living a green life. Living green means that you care about something, whether it’s social, environmental or both.
On the other hand, compassion is not always the motivator when a corporation decides to go green. Implementing green practices could be initiated by a business decision to reduce costs, to meet government regulations, to keep up with consumer demand or to ride on the green wave for appearances sake or for a new marketing angle.
Regardless of the motivation behind a company’s green initiatives, doing something is better than doing nothing. But what if it is all a smokescreen and more harm is being done than good? How do consumers cut through all the “green-washing”?
Look for signs of compassion in companies, just as you would in individuals. There are several signals you can look for.
Any company that is going above and beyond will let you know. Company ads, websites and packaging will mention if their product is made with green manufacturing methods, materials or ingredients; whether the company has fair employment practices; whether they have a workplace that reduces waste and has recycling programs.
The next gauge of greenness to look at is a company’s philanthropic efforts where a portion of their profits is being given to a charity or non-profit organization. Unfortunately this can be a tactic; for example, to brighten up a bad reputation. But for the sake of reeling in the cynicism, I like to think that the majority are doing it for the right reasons. Don’t you feel a little better about spending money when you know that a portion of it is going towards a good cause?
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Perhaps the most effective way of deciphering a company’s authenticity is by looking at the culture and lifestyles of the founders and upper management. If those running the company are walking the talk that’s usually a good sign that their company is, too. The founder of Patagonia is a shining example of this.
Keep in mind that there are older companies with toxic operations who are trying to clean up their act but revamping all of their systems will take a long time. If they have published commitments to achieve a specific level of sustainability within a certain time frame, they are worthy of your consumer dollars to help them get there. At least the awareness and intention are there. One example is the carpet manufacturer Interface, which promises to eliminate any negative impact they have on the environment by 2020.
We’re lucky to live in a time when modern media coverage, watch-groups and Internet tools make it much easier to be an informed consumer. If you really want to know who you are doing business with, where your products are coming from, how they are made or what a company stands for, you can find it.
