Green or Greenwashed? Customers Can Tell the Difference!

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RHC Marketing Moment: Greenwashing


Many of you may remember Tom Sawyer tricking his friends into whitewashing Aunt Polly’s fence. This canny trickery is still seen today, only it’s “greenwashing” instead of whitewashing. In Tom’s case, he fooled his friends into doing the work for him. With greenwashing, companies claim they are “green” or engaging in environmentally responsible behavior to gain favor with existing or new customers. This is often a case of all style and no substance or, as a good friend says, all sizzle and no steak.

The danger of slapping a green label or purporting to be green is that it’s easy for your trickery to be exposed. Being environmentally sustainable and green can mean many things, but be sure you are doing some or all of the best practices from this list:

• Recycling

• Reducing paper and packaging

• Switching to renewable energy sources

• Using energy-efficient lighting

• Conserving water

• Purchasing sustainable products

• Reducing transportation and fuel costs, as well as emissions

• Encouraging eco-friendly commuting

• Minimizing waste

• Investing in green technologies and manufacturing processes

• Educating employees, customers, and suppliers about sustainability 

In short, if you claim to be green, you better be able to back it up. Savvy customers will research and ask for evidence of your green behavior and business practices. While it might be tempting to jump on the greenwashing bandwagon, take a step back and think of the good you can do by actually implementing some green practices into your business. Then, you reap the benefits of recycling, reducing, and reusing, while earning legitimate associated bragging rights. 

If you need help improving your business practices or brand image, call River Heights Consulting. We’ll help you make Aunt Polly proud. 


Desiree Grace is an advisor, consultant, and mentor with 30+ years as a senior leader in the electrical distribution and manufacturing sectors. Desiree leads and supports special projects for River Heights
Consulting. She builds brands, grows revenue and motivates teams, facilitates strategy and execution, and offers special expertise in helping international companies enter the North American market.  Experience with Fortune 100 companies, private start-ups, and mid-market businesses enables Desiree to help a variety of B2B organizations improve market share, revenue, and profits. She is a sought-after speaker for topics such as professional development, sales leadership, industry trends, and team leadership and motivation. You can connect with her at www.linkedin.com/in/desireecgrace.




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