Letters: Action, not words
[Re: Watchdog bans Tesco Plant Chef ads over ‘misleading’ claims, yesterday]
Tesco is the latest in a line of household name organisations being criticised for their environmental claims.
Many businesses overlook the real business and legal implications that greenwashing can have. Sustainability is a deeply complicated area, and it isn’t purely reputational. Businesses are eager to promote their social impact credentials to look good, but this can have far ranging implications.
Too many brands have net zero targets in place but don’t go deeper than face value. Yet people will no longer tolerate inauthenticity, and increasingly, neither will the law. Greenwashing is a risk and a distraction from the urgent work needed to address the climate crisis.
Some greenwashing issues stem from well-meaning employees not having access to the right information, and businesses not having the right support in place for staff to navigate this complex agenda. Marketing departments are often blamed for these shortcomings. The marketing industry has huge power to raise awareness and promote more sustainable lifestyles – critical to achieve the net zero transition.
To do so brands need to recategorise sustainability as a business-critical issue, owned by all elements of the company and treated with the same level of legal scrutiny as any other commercial issue. It is crucial not to confuse passion with expertise. If businesses are committed to sustainability, then they must commit to the legwork that comes with it.
Anna Lungley