Podcast Summary: The Social Entrepreneurship & Innovation Podcast

Episode #251 – 7 Examples of Greenwashing (Feb 8, 2024)

Host: Cory Ames (Founder of Grow Ensemble)
Theme: Unpacking “greenwashing” with seven real-world examples to help listeners spot misleading environmental and social claims, and to encourage responsible business leadership.

Episode Overview

Cory Ames explores the pervasive problem of greenwashing in business—examining how some companies falsely present themselves as environmentally or socially responsible. Using seven concrete examples, Ames underscores the risks this poses for both consumers and authentic purpose-driven companies, and advocates for greater transparency and honesty in sustainability communications.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Defining Greenwashing

• Greenwashing: When companies mislead or misrepresent their environmental and/or social impact.

  “Greenwashing is the act of a company misleading or misrepresenting themselves to the public as to the degree of their environmental and or social responsibility.” (05:00)

• Social and environmental issues are intertwined; misleading on one often affects the other.

2. Seven Examples of Greenwashing

1. Green by Association (06:58)

• Companies seek respectability by joining reputable associations or securing certifications, even if their practices are questionable.
• Example: B Corporation certification—companies like Havas Media, Nespresso, and Evian earned B Corp status despite (or alongside) questionable records (e.g., child labor, single-use plastic).
• Notable quote:

  “If your core product is inherently and unnecessarily harmful to people and or the planet, then no amount of sustainable operations, workers rights or charitable giving can make up for that.” (12:35, Open letter from DAW to B Lab)

• Risk: Undermines credibility of certification for genuinely responsible brands and misleads consumers and job-seekers.

2. Just a Little More (16:44)

• Companies deflect criticism by promising incremental improvement, often far into the future.
• Example: Tim Cook of Apple, when confronted with child labor in cobalt mining, promises to use 100% recycled cobalt by 2025—without addressing present abuses.
• Notable quote:

  “So what he’s saying is—We’re going to continue to use child labor until 2025. At that point, those children will thankfully have gathered enough cobalt for us to recycle...” (17:49)

3. The Politician’s Promise (18:55)

• Companies make ambitious sustainability pledges with no plans to fulfill them, reaping reputational benefits without action.
• Example: Amazon, PepsiCo, H&M, Volkswagen, and others—named by Grist—making climate pledges that are “misleading and wholly insufficient.”
• Notable quote:

  “Pledges or commitments mean nothing to some companies. They perhaps see that they gain enough benefit from making the pledge without having to do any of the work to fulfill on it.” (19:33)

4. The Duck Test (21:08)

• If it looks and sounds sustainable, it must be, right? Companies use “sustainable” aesthetics and language to mask unsustainable reality.

• Example: Nike’s “Sustainability Collection” lawsuit—only 239 of 2,452 products actually used recycled materials, and even then, recycled polyester/nylon are plastics that shed microplastics.

• Notable quote:

  “Just because something is recycled does not mean it’s sustainable.” (24:15)

• This tactic is widespread in fashion (Adidas, Patagonia) with recycled polyester claims—yet the materials still pollute and may be “recycled” from otherwise more efficient waste streams.

5. The Bullfighter (28:29)

• Companies distract the public with grand, emotionally-driven sustainability messages while ignoring serious labor or environmental abuses.
• Example: Adidas—publicly commits to “ending plastic waste,” yet during COVID-19, was the worst offender in wage theft (garment workers in Cambodia lost $109 million in wages in two months).
• Notable quote:

  “You cannot be a leader in sustainability while exploiting people living in poverty who make your products.” (29:38)

6. Green by Acquisition (31:13)

• Large multinationals purchase sustainable brands to “borrow” goodwill, while not changing their own practices.
• Example: Purdue Farms, embroiled in child labor and animal cruelty scandals, acquires Pasture Bird (renowned for regenerative farming).
• Notable quote:

  “Through acquisition, Purdue gets to add a brand that’s leading the curve on more sustainable farming and poultry practices. If questioned, Purdue has a Pasture Bird, for example, to point to...” (32:14)

• Draws a parallel with mafia movies: “What happens when you take their money? They own you.”

7. Just Telling Your Favorite Parts (33:39)

• Selective, partial transparency—highlighting progress, hiding uncomfortable data.
• Example: Allbirds showcases reduction in per-product carbon footprint—while, buried in a nearly-hidden PDF page, their total carbon footprint has grown (because they produced and sold more overall).
• Notable quote:

  “A wildly ambitious mission must be met with a comparably courageous acknowledgement of where they stand concerning that goal.” (36:54)

• 2022 Allbirds report omits total carbon footprint data entirely.

  “By choosing not to share details that might raise questions, I can’t help but feel like a company is trying to hide something.” (37:51)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On certification credibility:

  “This is exactly what these greenwashing companies are exploiting… Greenwashers are leeches who will capitalize on the reputation and integrity of others to make it appear like their own.” (15:01)

• On the interdependence of social and environmental issues:

  “What we do to the people we do to the planet, what we do to the planet we do to the people is definitely true.” (04:43)

• On the limits of consumerism in driving change:

  “We also won’t shop our way into a more sustainable world.” (42:12)

• On transparency as a core value:

  “Complete transparency, telling the whole story, acknowledging imperfections before others have to, must become the norm.” (43:45)

• Final reflection:

  “Pursuing more sustainable and ethical business practices is not about achieving business’s greatest potential, but humanity’s greatest potential.” (44:45)

Key Takeaways

• Be Skeptical: Certifications, pledges, and advertisements warrant scrutiny—don’t accept marketing claims at face value.
• Transparency is Crucial: True progress requires honest communication, including shortcomings and failures, not just successes.
• Accountability Matters: Greenwashing undermines the credibility of responsible businesses and slows real systemic change.
• Social & Environmental Justice are Linked: Business practices must account for both planetary and human costs.

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 05:00 – Greenwashing Defined
• 06:58 – Example 1: Green by Association (B Corp controversy)
• 16:44 – Example 2: Just a Little More (Apple’s cobalt)
• 18:55 – Example 3: The Politician’s Promise (Empty climate pledges)
• 21:08 – Example 4: The Duck Test (Nike & recycled materials)
• 28:29 – Example 5: The Bullfighter (Adidas & labor)
• 31:13 – Example 6: Green by Acquisition (Purdue & Pasture Bird)
• 33:39 – Example 7: Telling Your Favorite Parts (Allbirds & carbon reporting)
• 42:12 – Final Reflections: Beyond Greenwashing

Conclusion

This episode is a call for vigilance—as consumers, workers, and business leaders—against greenwashing in all its forms. Cory Ames urges businesses to embrace full transparency and honesty, reminding listeners that the stakes are higher than business success—they are about protecting lives, livelihoods, and the planet.