greenwashing

[green-wosh-ing, -waw-shing]

noun

1. an instance or practice of promoting or affiliating a brand, campaign, mission, etc., with environmentalism as a ploy to divert attention from policies and activities that are in fact antienvironmentalist.

   Car manufacturers have gone all-in on this greenwashing of fuel efficiency standards.

Word History and Origins

Origin of greenwashing¹

First recorded in 1985–90; greenwash ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

Last month, Wendy’s issued a statement about responsibly sourcing palm oil, though the announcement was criticized as greenwashing.

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It accused the scheme of "enabling greenwashing and purpose washing by multinationals".

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“It’s a bit of greenwashing,” she said, referring to the practice of misleading the public about environmental efforts.

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Done purely for marketing, it has been criticized by environmentalists as a greenwashing tactic.

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Though the agency only pursues a few greenwashing cases a year, its guides — which are guidelines instead of laws — are the only national benchmark for evaluating recycling claims.

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