Avoid Greenwashing… but Speak Up!

Authors

• Eric Olson

  Former Senior Vice President, BSR

Sprint’s launch today of a modestly priced “green” phone—the Reclaim, developed with Samsung—is a good example of getting it right with respect to green products and related communications. I know because I led a small BSR team that provided some of the external review for the phone as part of our ongoing work with the company.

Sure, there is justifiable concern over the practice of corporate “greenwashing,” particularly in sectors such as information and communications technology that are positioning themselves as part of the solution to environmental problems like climate change. As an example of what we’re telling our member companies on how to avoid the pitfalls, see our new report on understanding and preventing greenwash (available to BSR members now, and to the public on August 11).

But better than being cautious is being vocal and savvy. That’s why I’m telling companies to communicate—aggressively!—the virtues of new products and practices that really are better. The Sprint case, and other good examples like it from BSR’s work, leads me to suggest a few important things to do if you want to get it right when it comes to green products and communications:

1. Put specific products and initiatives in the context of broader and sustained efforts to improve environmental performance. Sprint’s commitment to roll out green attributes across the entire product portfolio makes a meaningful difference. Otherwise, the Reclaim is just a token.
2. Seek external engagement and act on the feedback. Sprint asked us to do a rigorous review, and they took it seriously. The availability and engagement of a wide range of staff—beyond CSR and Communications—spoke more loudly than any of the formal communications.
3. Find a communications style that balances the need for substance and humility with the need for clarity and excitement! Green can and should be cool.
4. Prepare for the reality that you will not please everybody. A wide variety of stakeholders in the green products space, with diverse—and often contradictory—priorities and viewpoints, means there are no universally accepted standards for "good" performance.
5. Remember that how your company responds to the inevitable criticism that comes with "venturing into green” may represent the single greatest opportunity to build the credibility, trust and support you are looking for. Inviting (reasonable) critics into dialog and joint problem solving, rather than taking a defensive posture, is likely to pay off in a big way.

Contributing to a huge and vibrant market for greener products and services is a worthy objective. Greenwash doesn’t help, but neither does silence. Corporate-wide commitment and external stakeholder engagement can help. It’s a marathon rather than a sprint (sorry), but it’s a race worth running.