Avoid Blacking the Green
Have you ever wondered what the sentence “green is the new black” actually means? Well as black is a color reputed to match almost everything, so does green in today’s business arena, as is a color that no successful business can afford to not “wear”.. as long as you do not wear and tear! Companies being or turning green essentially refers to their internal strategies integrating sustainability principles, and thus, acting responsibly by contributing towards a sustainable development for our common good! This of course has been a result of the awareness raised about the impacts anthropogenic actions are having on our ecosystem accompanied with the just how much corporations are contributing to the “CO2 pie” (emissions). Now, it should come as no surprise that within this equation corporations own up to a large part of the CO2 pie but it should also come as no surprise that corporations simultaneously have the power to make their part of the pie more sustainable in the long run for society and the environment, whilst reaping the benefits of being a good corporate citizen.
Consequently, by taking a peek into how businesses today are communicating to their stakeholders you will quickly come to find that they are falling all over themselves to deliver the message that they are environmentally and ecologically conscious and correct! At present, some businesses are genuinely committed to making the world a better a place to live in, and hence more sustainable, but yet far too many are portraying sustainability efforts as a method of attracting potential customers, as environmentally conscious consumers are expanding tremendously ! This essentially done through corporations trying to pass off as eco-friendly, when what they are in fact doing is hiding behind their not so green footprints! Consider for instance putting an image of a forest on a bottle containing harmful chemicals. Other corporations pass off eco friendly behavior to their stakeholders through exaggerating the truth about the the percentages of their products being beneficial to the environment. Such actions at best has brought a wave of confession to consumers as to which products they can truly trust, and at worst has created the notion of green washing being a major contradiction to the expansion of sustainable development. This of course is not to say that when making an effort towards being more sustainable marketing the action is forbidden, but more acknowledging that true results are found in walking the talk opposed to talking the talk. Besides, in today’s society’s fast growing awareness and interest in Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility married with the expansion of organizations alike corporate watch dog, and Stop Green Wash which in turn keep a close eye on organizations green washing, it would be ludicrous for businesses to not wake up to the economic benefits of environmentally sustainable practices and products.
CSE, being a leader in the CSR field since 2004 and having trained more than 5,000 individuals across North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East are implementing the most advanced methodologies for professionals across sectors and industries on Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability – strategy, reporting, management and communication. If you are interested in avoiding green washing and investing in the business case of CSR , join our upcoming Certified Sustainability (CSR) Practitioner Trainings delivered worldwide!