Consumers Won’t Be Fooled: Greenwashing Index Cleaning Up Advertising

(PORTLAND, Ore.)—One year after its launch, the Greenwashing Index has empowered people in 138 countries to visit the online forum, which allows consumers to call out misleading green ads and showcase honest ones.

With the unveiling of a refreshed Web site, the Greenwashing Index invites consumers to post, scrutinize and rank environmental ads. 

On average, consumers posted three green ads every week throughout the first year of the Greenwashing Index — its creators hope consumer interest and momentum will drive advertisers to reevaluate their green claims.

“Because of the Greenwashing Index, it’s becoming harder to fool consumers, and it is getting more difficult for companies to ignore how they present green products and services to the public,” said Valerie Davis, principal and CEO of EnviroMedia, one of the creators of the Index.

To celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Greenwashing Index, the University of Oregon plans to create an anti-greenwashing manifesto — intended for a global communications audience — during a February 6 workshop in Portland called The Greenwashing Forum: Crafting Honest Messages in a Green World. Journalists, marketing leaders, educators and consumer advocates will tackle how to protect people from companies that spend more time and money claiming to be green than actually implementing environmentally friendly practices.

The forum coincides with a re-launch of the Web site (www.GreenwashingIndex.com), developed by EnviroMedia Social Marketing in partnership with the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication. The Greenwashing Index is based on five educational criteria developed by academics at the University of Oregon. The new Greenwashing Index features a refreshed look, tagging functionality and smarter search features.

“Our objective here is to push on the greenwashing issue and, by doing that, set an example for the world to see,” said Deborah Morrison, University of Oregon professor and forum organizer. “Portland is certainly the thought-leader capital of best practices for a green economy. We want to use that energy and make a statement through what’s accomplished at the forum.”

The public is invited to register for the February 6 workshop, which will also reveal what data from the Greenwashing Index tells us about consumers and green advertising. Registration information, panelists and a complete schedule — including how to identify and control greenwashing and how to build transparency in brand messaging — is available at http://turnbull.uoregon.edu/.

Finding Bogus Ads (and Authentic Ones) is Easier
For a year since the Greenwashing Index was founded, consumers have been outing greenwashers and rewarding companies employing sound environmental marketing efforts at the Greenwashing Index.

Updates to the site enable consumers to filter ads by 15 industry segments, such as automotive, energy/utilities, food/beverage, healthcare or technology/electronics. Visitors can also use the “Search Ads” feature to type in a specific company name or search by "tag" keywords. Additionally, consumers can simply choose one of three ad categories: most recent, best rated or worst rated.

“We don’t see this surge in green marketing stopping any time soon, so it’s important for consumers to educate themselves and for businesses to hold themselves accountable for what they present to the public,” said Kevin Tuerff, principal and president of EnviroMedia.

Who Made the 2008 List? Who Will Make 2009?
An ad can be rated anywhere on a scale of one to five: “Authentic-1” to “Suspect-3” to a whopping “Bogus-5.” Since the site launched Jan. 7, 2008, 161 ads have been posted but not all of them have received negative ratings. Consumers reviewed and then offered better rankings for green ads from organizations such as Spot Shot stain remover, Sylvania elogic light bulbs and Mythic nontoxic paint. Those wanting to know who failed and got called out for greenwashing can visit GreenwashingIndex.com.

About EnviroMedia
Headquartered in Austin, Texas, EnviroMedia Social Marketing has been delivering award-winning behavior-changing campaigns that get measurable results since 1997. Green Canary Sustainability Consulting is also committed to achieving client goals through creative, innovative marketing and consulting solutions without greenwashing. For more information, visit EnviroMedia.com or GreenCanary.net.