Greenwashing: climate labeling is under fire
Greenwashing is a corporate diversionary tactic that gives the impression of a sustainable or even climate-neutral company, but whose actions contradict this. In other words, by deliberately spreading disinformation, companies pretend to be sustainable without actually making their core business more sustainable and climate-friendly.
According to the Gabler Business Dictionary, greenwashing refers to "the attempt by organizations to achieve a "green image" through communication, marketing and individual measures without having systematically anchored corresponding measures in their operational business. While the term originally referred to suggested environmental friendliness, it is now also used for suggested corporate responsibility."
On everyone's lips
The latest case of greenwashing is apparently worthless CO2 compensation certificates, which companies are using to embellish their carbon footprint. This is suggested by the evaluations of an international research team and raises serious doubts about the credibility of CO2 certificates to offset harmful emissions.
The team, consisting of employees from Die Zeit and the British Guardian, used the investigative platform Source Material to uncover that 94 percent of theCO2 certificates examined, which the world's leading provider Verra has issued for forest protection projects, have no positive impact on the climate. The provider denies this. However, the first companies have already reacted to the revelations, including VW, dm, SAP, REWE and Rossmann. They have announced that they will be revising their carbon offset strategies. Rossmann will remove the "climate neutral" label from its own brand.
Our pro.earth.conclusion
We take a very critical view of carbon offset trading, as cases of fraud and deception are on the increase. For example, Deutsche Umwelthilfe is currently taking legal action against seven companies that use the term "climate neutral" without further explanation or data. In our opinion, the reduction in a company's CO2 emissions must largely come from real reductions and not from CO2 certificate trading. What we need are real improvements, changes in the core business, reduction of the energy balance, the use of resources etc. of a company. Perhaps the current situation will help companies to really get down to business instead of trying to buy their way out.
