Being a conscious consumer is so difficult. Especially when you don't have money, resources or means to choose different products, or when you don't know how to get information about them. I wish there were laws requiring transparency, that companies weren't allowed to do that. I want to be more environment-friendly, but I'm annoyed there's so much effort requested from me and so little from the companies. Even something so basic as recycling!
I feel exactly the same. I feel like the consumer has to do the heavy lifting with researching every little thing. If you don't you're the bad guy, meanwhile many companies aren't making it any easier on us, but more confusing
it made me so mad the other day when I went to Victoria’s Secret/PINK’s website (I’ve unsubscribed from their emails like 2-3 times & still get them 😐) & I saw a little earth symbol next to their logo. They’re pledging to do all of these sustainable things & like yeah, okay, still not gonna buy your products but it’s a start. At the end they had the audacity to say “We’re learning just like you!!!” uhm, NO, you’re NOT “learning just like me”. You have abundant time, resources, money, & manpower to dedicate to the issue while I’m a 22 year old working full time, taking classes at a community college, & trying to educate myself on sustainability in my spare time in order to make the best choices possible. You’re a MULTIBILLION DOLLAR COMPANY who can HIRE people to make some major changes & reduce your carbon footprint. This is comparing apples to a whole gold covered f*cking ORCHARD! I saw it 2-3 days ago & I’m still so mad about it.
👏👏👏clap clap 👏👏👏 + So annoyed when companies want to pass as people like when they're asking for "freedom of speech" (you're a company you're responsible for what you say that is necessarily a public message and therefore when saying problematic things you're promoting them) or in this case pretend to be individual with flaws to erase how systematically problematic they are it's gaslighting level 💯
That Colgate “sustainable” version pisses me off so much! Like “wow, buy our green toothpaste that’s cheaper than a small company’s “ and also their whole “save water” mark on the back makes me want to slap every Colgate CEO
What do you think about products like Colgate's Smile for Good (recyclable packaging) toothpaste that is clearly greenwashing, but puts a sustainable product in supermarkets across the UK at a reasonable price and might act as a gateway product for people who are in the habit of buying all their food/toiletries at the one store and wouldn't go out of their way to go to a zw shop/seek out small businesses and order online. By buying the product I am a) supporting a billion dollar company who should be doing this across their production line and are instead greenwashing only certain products but b) might be showing them that there is consumer interest which might lead to larger scale changes because of their reach as a larger company (product available in more stores, in refill systems like Loop, recognizing sustainability as a consumer priority). I'm conflicted!
im sorry but i dont get the sentiment here. lets punish big brands for being big brands when they are trying to improve? big companies fulfill a demand that we create. products like this test the waters to see if wed buy them over the "cheap and unethical" version. if we buy them. they WILL switch. they WILL produce what we want because they dont care about ethics but they DO care about money. id rather have a world full of imperfect big cooporations producing more sustainable version of their products than what we get by only supporting small companies that arent affordable for most people and most people wont even realise exist. its sad but sometimes we NEED to play the game in order to win it instead of simply boycotting sales on a miniscule margin.
Chiara Koch thanks for replying - its true, we say that we need everyone doing zw imperfectly, but you’re the first person I’ve seen that allows that companies will also be imperfect. For instance there are lots of smaller brands testing the waters with sustainable packaging/formulas/refill options or have been a more sustainable choice all along but have been bought by unilever which I hear I should boycott no questions asked because of their past environmental record
That’s always confused me about companies, if they have a ‘sustainable’ product that effectively could replace their other similar/same products, then why do they still produce, sell and support their non-sustainable products, I can only think for profit
I have a story regarding Ben & Jerry's vegan ice creams. Just recently, they were promoting their vegan ice creams on German FB. One commenter added that it was sad, that their price was 60% more for the vegan varieties in comparison to their regular ones. B&J replied that the higher price was due to fair trade labour across all varieties, increased production costs and a higher price for almonds (in contrast to subsidized cow's milk). However, this comment backfired on them as commenters pointed out that the vegan varieties were only 10% more in other countries like the Netherlands and France and were coming from the same factory for all these markets. The vegan varieties are 7,99€-8,99€ and never in promotion, whereas the regular ones are often on promotion for 3,99€. I find it so hard to consume sustainably when I have the feeling that companies (not only the big ones) are trying to make a buck out of ethical consumers wherever they can. Cutting back on consumption is not always sustainable, either. I'm just human and can only do so much.
That is outrageous! We indeed do not have such a big price difference in the Netherlands..still I do not buy any products from Ben&Jerrys anymore..because I feel like they pretend to be such a fairtrade and eco-concious company, but why then still sell so much milkbased icecream? Dunno, personally just don't want to support them anymore
I‘m living in Germany and by now Ben&Jerrys lowered the prices for the vegan ice cream to 5,99. That’s still not cheap but at least it now costs the same as the regular one’s.
Unilever! I hate that company so much because of their environmental, economic and cultural destruction in the Pacific (I researched them for my Master's thesis).But the other day I bought a Weis vegan icecream and discovered later that it was a Unilever product. The print on the packaging was so small!
and as I noticed, they're buying smaller brands so you can buy your favorite brand that started independent and then one day find out they now belong to Unilever :/ happened to me :/
Same with Alpro which was bought by Danone and now sadly Oatly who decided to sell 10% to Blackstone. Their CEO supports trumps with millions of dollars and Blackstone contributes to deforestation in the Amazon 😔
@@srkra_ YOU'RE KIDDING! I just started buying Talenti gelato. :( Do you know anything about Ben & Jerry's? Gittemary used their post in her video but I thought they were actually a decent company? I buy my ice cream from them almost exclusively.
@@helenameyer9778 Ben and Jerry's was founded by a couple great guys, but is a subsidiary of unilever now. They still use fair trade ingredients etc which makes the product better than some others, but the money you spend on it ultimately goes to a crappy company unfortunately :(
a brief timestamp what is greenwashing 1:01 categories overview 1:47 direct greenwashing 1:53 indirect greenwashing 3:48 incognito greenwashing 6:49 political greenwashing 9:12 additional greenwashing 13:07 what can we do 16:09
When I worked at Publix we would advertise that we donate bread, produce, and Starbucks leftovers however we would actually just throw it out and we even had some people coming in to ask if they could collect our stuff and our manager would ghost them. He would tell us to tell him when they came in so he could be in the back and we were to tell them he wasn't there even tho he was. But he would still brag to customers saying we donated stuff when we didn't. It's supposed to be a company wide thing but some stores don't do it. :(
Thank you so much for this video, super informative like always! Nestle is based in Switzerland and this autumn we'll have a votation whether or not companies based in Switzerland have to follow Swiss law when doing business outside of Switzerland. Thus nestle, Glencore etc. would have to stick to Swiss environmental/labor etc law.. I really hope it will pass!
It might be cynical of me but I feel like nestle would just move.. :( It’s a great initiative though and hopefully if it passes more countries will follow!
@@GoogelyeyesSaysHej true, however moving does come with many costs aswell on itself because they would probably loose many employees, they have huge office complex's etc.. Plus the damage to their image as moving would be a public statement of "we violate so many laws with our practice, that we have to move".. Plus, even if it passes, people still have to sue Nestlé.. Anyways, I think the public debate this started in Switzerland is already super valuable! And yes!! Apparently the EU is watching closely and already drafting something similar, which would be great because that would mean that to evade these laws these enterprises would have to leave the EU, which I don't think is very likely to happen..
@@e.p.1908 unfortunately it didn't pass! there was a majority of the population who voted yes, but it also needed a majority of the states which was not attained :( however, it lead to a very intense public debate about human rights violation etc by these big companies so i hope there's still some positive effect from this votation!
Not sure if this is greenwashing, but I hate it when something is labled as “made with natural ingredients” if you could make bread totally without natural ingredients that would be noteworthy not that it’s just normal bread
It is greenwashing and a bad one as well, “natural” does not mean anything by itself but it’s used to make consumer feel that they are making better choices and like, sometimes an “unnatural” thing can be more sustainable 💁♀️💚🌿
Also, I really "like" how Colgate is now selling bamboo toothbrushes with their logo on it. Along with their other 100500 non-recyclable oral hygiene products
Ugh and I just bought their natural toothpaste today, smile for good I think it's called? My partner doesn't like the super natural toothpaste tabs so I figured I would give this one a shot. Now I'm not sure if I did the right thing... Sure, I bought something that is maybe a little bit more sustainable than regular toothpaste. But also, by buying this I'm showing Colgate that greenwashing works! Aaah, it's so difficult!
the incognito marketing drives me insane. the problem is these successful (actually sustainable) smaller brands keep getting bought out by the larger companies. i've had to change my deodorant 3 times because the companies keep getting bought out and it is exhausting trying to keep up.
i became so exhausted by all the somewhat necessary research just to do my shopping. I thought one day, i may has well just put the hard work into making as much as practical myself (i.e. diy skin care, house products etc). anything else that is too hard to make or just not practical, i just buy and use in ways it that i stretch it as far as possible. I'm pretty sure i would be a "bad" customer if they could like at what i spend on their products.....
You talked about that plant milk made by the dairy company who originally sued for calling plant milk "milk". Same thing happened with Just Mayo. Hellman's sued them for calling it Mayo arguing that the ingredients didn't make it "real Mayo". They dropped the lawsuit because it turns out that Hellman's made a product that by their own definition was not "real mayo". And then guess what they did? They came out with their own vegan Mayo. The bastards. What's worse is Just Mayo is having issues with their supply chain right now and OF COURSE hellman's is the only vegan mayo being sold in most stores.
I did not know this actually, what the actual fuck. I mean I am not surprised but I am hella disappointed. It just goes to show that vegan products can be highly unethical depending on the brand that owns them
I totaly agree with you. I don't think we should be ashamed to be bold about what we think about billion dollars company. I've always been very angry about them, and I let people know, we have to boycott them, otherwise nothing will change. We do the best we can, but with the money we have.
I LOVE how you cite your sources. God please never change. I know it must be extra work, but it gives your videos credibility when sharing them with potential people who might be quick to be skeptical about your data. Plus it’s made me trust your word more seeing you continue to be transparent about your information. Love it 👌🏻
I agree. I'm a huge believer on data based decisions myself. So I often find myself trending towards the people who cite data rather than just emotions :)
Even amongst sustainable, zero-waste influencers, I feel like you are one of the few that offer real information. Greenwashing, with social media, occurs on all levels.
Eco-shape?! WOW. I saw another water bottle company with green little decor on it and it says "bottle is recyclable" in green letters. I HATE GREENWASHING! I need to talk about it on my channel too
Please never stop posting and educating people, I know my environmental impact is not any smaller than the average person but I believe it's good to know what you are buying and supporting and be more aware so you can at least make changes no matter how tiny. And if we all made our part, not necessarily going full zero waste or vegan, the world would become a better place.
The information about H&M was shocking and heart breaking. I buy most clothes second hand. It's awful that big companies are lying and harming people just to line thier bank accounts 💔 thank you for this video
This video was so educational, thank you so much for putting this together! This year I stopped buying from Everlane because I was tired them advertising this “sustainable and radical” business front without revealing where their materials come from, etc. I’ve heard a lot about Everlane’s questionable greenwashing, which goes to show that even small-ish “green” companies can participate in greenwashing! Now I just buy my clothes secondhand. Tip: I use the app Good On You to learn more about companies’ sustainability and ethics.
Where are their materials coming from? I've checked out everlane's website recently. I saw that their factories are all over the globe so there is quite a lot of shipping involed I guess especially when the factory is far from my country. So that already rules them out for me because i prefer products from my country or europe, or like you say second hand of course!
Hi, another very informative video. It's so strange - Nestle or Coca Cola will never be green, sustainable or labourfriendly - nice try. I hope not too much people trust in that.
8:05 The fact that they called the drink "honest" is even more infuriating, when in fact it's a huge polluter pretending to be a small sustainable business :/ At this point, "greenwashed" products make me more mad that the ones who don't pretend to be sustainable! Great video, subscribed :)
I've only started recently buying from Etsy - yes, they say that they're donating to "greener causes" and I wanna believe them, but it's the only way I can support local businesses right now since I live in a big city with the virus still rampant :(((
I wish that you could make one video about the ecological footprint of superfoods trends or something like that. Maybe about different powders, maca, spirulina etc. :)
Excellent video! Seems I am always suspicious of products, checking to see who the parent company is. Remember when The Body Shop was bought by L’Oréal? Thankfully no longer owned by them. I do go around telling people that Nestle doesn’t make bottled water, they make plastic bottles. We, the consumers, have the power to change things. Bullying companies is a beautiful thing indeed 😊
If I am not mistaken it now belongs to Natura. Or the company that owns Natura. And they were doing "eco" products before it was popular. Hopefully they are a green company. They were Brazilian, I don't know if they still are, which makes me doubt a bit.
Maggie Bartz Yes they are. Grateful that Natura owns them now. TBS refilled bottles before it was popular back in the early 90’s when I worked there. We were a rebel company 😊
A few days back, I saw in the supermarket a bamboo toothbrush by Colgate (Colgate-Palmolive). Total greenwashing, and 5€ for a company which is not eco at all...
I emailed Nestlé, and they had the audacity to tell me “child labor has no place in *their* supply chain”. Then they said they’re taking action to progressively eliminate it. So I emailed them back because those are very contradictory statements. Does it or does it not take place, ya know? They replied, and said if they had sufficient evidence of slavery or trafficking they report it immediately. That left me with even more questions.
Ooh, I loved this video! I learn a lot thanks to your content! I have been avoiding Nestle for years, now I buy my chocolate from a small company in Galicia, my hometown in Spain, and I feel proud of giving my money to a small bussiness that employs local people and uses fairtrade chocolate🙂
Thank you for this video, it is so helpful. I love how you have such positive vibes in your videos, even when talking about serious/maddening issues. One particular one that makes me want to scream is Garnier slapping a "vegan" label on a few of their products when they still test on animals.
That “buying plant milk from a butcher shop” simile really drove the ball home for me, thank you for that… I was already reluctant about buying vegan foods from non-vegan brands, but now I know I won’t anymore.
Such a good video! I’ve set a goal to purchase only small business and ethically made items for Christmas gifts this year. Can’t wait to see how it goes :)
Good! I definitely think that many of us in this movement slowly trend towards purchasing from local small businesses. My family did a "Low Waste Christmas" last year where we only gave gifts that we made or obtained second hand. It was really cool the gift ideas that some of them came up with!
Personal pet peeve: Yesterday's News cat litter. Ostensibly, litter made out of recycled newspaper! Huzzah! ...it doesn't say what % is recycled and its parent company is NESTLE. *cuss*
A few months ago, I purchased a face moisturizer that presented itself as being from a Black-owned and woman-owned business. I did some more research after buying it and found that the company was originally Black-owned and woman-owned, but the company had been bought by Unilever years ago.
this is my first time watching a video of yours and 1. WOW you are gorgeous 2. this was such a well done video! I have a sustainability degree and still learned something :)
15% less plastic because the bottle is 15% smaller and being sold at the same price. AKA 15% more profits + more sales from green-washing + 15% reduction in cost of producing the bottle = $$$
Hi Gittemary!! Your video it's really interesting. Even if I try to be aware of Green Washing, sometimes it's really difficult and requires time and a deep search to realise if it is or not a case of green washing. But what I really believe and value from your video is that it's necessary to raise awareness in general public, people that aren't that interested in sustainability but still want to reduce their impact in the Earth. And I you video helps to do this. So thanks!
This is such a wonderful video thank you so much for it! I love how you're stating the importance of being aware of greenwashing and trying to move away from it but still recognizing that it's difficult to do and that not everyone has the resources for it, I think this is exactly the right way to be looking at the issue (well that's my personal opinion anyways ^-^')
Thank your for summing up the infos. I believe it’s important to talk about this since this is complete consumer missleading, which is hypothethically punished by law..ehm ehm. Also thank you for making us feel better if we don’t have choices but these brands - I’m currently living in an area where thrifting and vintage clothing costs the double than buying fast fashion, and as a student with no income I can’t afford the difference.
Rosa Butcher yes, also etsy and depop. The problem is still the same: I can get clothes in fast fashion store under 10€, and second hand no. I’m trying to minimize my purchases for this reason, but when something breaks I need to replace it somehow
I'd love to hear about green energy tariffs, I was really sceptical as they say their electricity comes from renewable sources. In the UK all electricity is pooled into something called the national grid, energy suppliers buy it from there to sell on to their consumers, so there is no way of knowing where your electricity has been produced. A quick google, and it appears that all they have to do is buy a cheap certificate which might only cost them £1.50 a year per customer, which goes to energy-saving schemes. It's probably better to go for a standard tariff and donate £5 to a environmental charity, it would be cheaper and do more good.
Greenwashing has been around for a long time, but I think it has really gotten worse in the past few years. About 20 years ago I was making soaps and skin care roducts and it took so much time to find truly quality base materials. Suppliers were not very upfront with ingredients, production, sourcing - that HAS improved now. It is tough to be a conscious consumer in a busy world. I keep trying to get better.
this video was so informative, thank you Gittemary! would definitely love more content on greenwashing and the companies that do so. also maybe it would be nice to list a few companies after the video which would be really good to support instead of the greenwashing ones. that way people know where to go when they need something :)
Side note : when she said "i'm going to sound cynical" as if it was a bad thing TWICE it threw me into an ocean of surprise and misunderstanding ! Is it because i'm french and we're REALLY into cynism or is it just because she's her and has a wholesome personality ? PS really well thought video
Yes, please inform us on all the big corporations. I had no idea that Coca-Cola owned/produced Honest Tea. What are your thoughts on the Oatly company selling ‘out’ to the Blackstone group?
Super informative! You can never be too careful with this sorta thing. It's sad that we have to do all of the work whereas the companies make zero effort when clearly they could go green.
I knew that Nestlé had been in some bad situations, and I knew that they had been there lots of times. The Scope of how wrecked they are, I would have never imagined though. It's sad to see that brands so big do not even want to try. The thought of them making less money (still making tons of money) is apparently enough to make them "unable" to do more. Shame. Shame. Shame.
I mean it’s good that they have more sustainable option. If we bye the more sustainable one more than the other one than they will be more sustainable for the profit.
Thank you for the wonderful content, although greenwashing makes me angry. :D Recently I found out that Santé (Sante?) is part of Nestlé. I was quite disappointed cause it doesn´t say it on the package, so one has to do research and that makes consuming difficult at some point.
Thank you for this great video! I love that you state the facts in a compassionate way while not shying away from the truth about big corporations and their green washing strategies. I was wondering whether you could do a video about Oatly and other smaller companies that get bought by large corporations for their image and of course their revenue. Since these smaller brands already have a large customer base (mainly sustainably-minded), I think this is would be an interesting additional aspect to this video. 🌱❤
Yet again, you amaze me! I just absolutely love how you approach these topics and get this information out! These things need to be heard and you are spreading it beautifully! 💕
I'm so sad about the plantmilk jörd. I have been using it for about a month, and really liked it, one of my faves. But I first learned a few days ago that it was owned by Arla, which made me so angry, frustrated and sad.. So now I'm not going to buy it ever again, even though it was one of my faves :( And thank you so so much for making these informative videoes!
When I lived in Sweden I was in awe of their McDonald's ads. Simply because it was so greenwashed it was easy to forget it was a McDonald's ad. Maybe they were more sustainable in Sweden, but as a whole, the company is responsible for a lot of trash (useless toys and single use everything!) and carbon emissions, I don't know who they are trying to kid.
I wonder what is the best choice talking about recycled materials. I feel like 10 percent recycled material is better than 0 percent recycled material, but then again, if I buy that product I'm supporting the company and sending a message that this is enough when it's not. :/ it's like the consumer can never win...
I have a (maybe silly) question: is Muji one of these companies? Is there any reliable information among what they claim to be sustainable? I noticed it especially moving to Finland: here it's even harder to understand the actual behaviour of a brand. They all have this fancy "green -eco-etc." design and in some cases even their labels seem to be ok... But then you find out that it's just a facade.
I think Muji is green washing, there was something about the cotton they use in their clothes? I don't really remember, but it was a pretty big deal just a few weeks ago.
Honestly the additional greenwashing thing seems like a positive affect of the green and zero waste trend. Yes, these companies should be doing more but the fact that we as consumers were able to force them to have a sustainable line in order to market themselves still is pretty impressive and it kind of makes me happier than outraged
First :) I'm super excited about this video. I've been wondering a lot about this topic and have suspected some companies I've been buying from of green washing without really knowing how to tell if it's true. Thank you for this! Edit: Okay so I jut watched the video and wow, that was a lot to take in. On one hand I'm grateful to have this information, but it's also disheartening. The things these major corporations do are disgusting and I feel like I've been noticing them more and more. One smaller company I got some sort of more indirect green washing vibes from is Nobody's Child, which is small U.K. clothing brand that advertises itself as sustainable fashion, much like Reformation, but more affordable. I jumped at the change to by clothes from them since they were "green" and something I could actually afford, but there's a disturbingly small amount of information on their site about what actually makes them sustainable when you start to look. It makes me sad because I really like their style of clothes, but don't want to support brands who are green washing their customers. On the other hand, I still feel better buying clothes from them than a company like H and M. It's confusing. Would you consider them more sustainable or still just another form of green washing and an unsustainable company? P.s. I loved this vid :)
In Australia, there's currently an ad going around from a major company claiming that we all need to do more, so they're "doing their bit" by making their bottle... recyclable. It's a plastic bottle. The previous bottle was plastic too, but apparently an unrecyclable kind (presumably mixed materials). I'm sorry, is this 1990? But far worse still is that the ad goes on to demand real change from consumers and literally calls them out and criticises them for not implementing 'real' change and only being active about sustainable living on social media. It made me so mad every time I saw it. Honestly, the gall! The gaaaaalll. I split my time between two different countries, and I'm honestly relieved to be back on the other side of the world just so that I don't have to witness that ad anymore. Greenwashing ads are a huge trend on Australian TV in 2020. One sees several during most ad breaks. I'm not a TV watcher, but I lived with my family during lockdown and they spent pretty much the entire period on a 24-hour TV cycle. That ad was triggering my fury every hour like clockwork for months. ):
Great video. The other day I found that my favorite tea Pukka is owned by Unilever and I was so disappointed. Also when a couple of years ago Coca-Cola bought Lurisia, I got so angry! 😢
I was watching this to get in the mood for my uni paper about greenwashing/green marketing... from the marketing perspective, specifically design. So I guess I’m somewhat of a bad guy here. I don’t really know where I stand on it myself as I’d consider myself one of those people who constantly fall for it. Anyway I want to give you a big compliment on your video as it presented many facts in a way that did not convey „please feel bad“ and instead say „please be aware“ which is great. Many things I was looking at, even from professional journalism, failed to do that. So thank you so much, I actually had fun doing something for uni once lol
I would love more videos about greenwashing companies and products! Honestly, without having confirmed as much, I would still be willing to bet that Nestle already had the equipment to make that shape of bottle, and so the 15% reduction in plastic was just whatever allowed them to make a greenwashing claim while still resulting in a profit. I'm very certain that sacrificing even 5% of profits on that item in order to make it sustainable would receive a horrified and resounding no. Multinational billion dollar companies seem perfectly happy to implement as much change as they can profit from--and no more.
Omg this was so informative, especially about Nestle 😱 I never knew that! I hope you get more subscribers, the way you research and share about the eco-friendly lifestyle is so amazing and helpful. You were one of my first inspirations in leading a zero waste/less waste life along with Shelby. Thanks so much for opening my eyes!
This. Video. Is. Awesome. So much valuable information that is HARD to find. Not everyone is perfect but being AWARE of what's going on is key for people to make better and better products. I definitely learned a ton here!
This might come as a shock to a lot of people because it has become a really big trend among people that are into sustainability or “greener” interior design but the house plant collecting thing is very much greenwashed. It does come with some great things such as learning about plant needs, propagation or care but actually most plants that are marketed as house plants are from tropical enviroments such as the amazon region or asian rainforest regions. The issue with this is that most people who own this plants (eg. monstera deliciosa) do not live in this regions thus introducing exotic plants into their enviroments (which can cause a serious impact on your ecosystem), increasing their demand and wasting resources in keeping them alive. To anyone thinking of buying some plants for their home, please do some research on plants native to your region, that way you are supporting businesses that sell plants that are actually good for the enviroment you live in. They will also need a lot less caring for. And if you can plant them in the ground instead of having them in pots!!
So happy to see people like you speaking about it! I did my masters dissertation several years ago on greenwashing and at the time no one knew what it was. Big thumbs up from me, spread the word!
I've always wondered. A meat company has come out with vegan products, is it good to buy those vegan products? You're showing that company you're happy that they are transitioning, or is it bad since your money is going to a company that also mass produces meat? Same with buying Ben&Jerry's knowing it's from Unilever, etc
Can someone please talk about how Proctor and Gamble (apart of the big 3) owns native. The same brand who owns secret is blindsiding us and it makes me so sad.
an awful attempt to greenwashing from our Belgian government was when one of our climate-ministers was going to the climate conference (COP 25) in Madrid. She flew there - and that's how she called it - "Planepooling". Great try, miss Demir, next time better.
the dislikes on this video are from nestle and coca cola
😂 Wouldn't surprise me if they were!
And H&M 😂😂😂
🤣🤣🤣
Its when soap companies sell 'refills' in a plastic bottle just without a pump and say its eco friendly that drives me mad
You can also add that yes you reuse the bottle but the refills aren't recyclable
My favorite is selling the in-use bottle in glass, but the refills are in plastic of the same color. It's all about aesthetics.
Being a conscious consumer is so difficult. Especially when you don't have money, resources or means to choose different products, or when you don't know how to get information about them. I wish there were laws requiring transparency, that companies weren't allowed to do that. I want to be more environment-friendly, but I'm annoyed there's so much effort requested from me and so little from the companies. Even something so basic as recycling!
I feel exactly the same. I feel like the consumer has to do the heavy lifting with researching every little thing. If you don't you're the bad guy, meanwhile many companies aren't making it any easier on us, but more confusing
Agree with both of you.
True, and that is very unfair unfortunately
I totally agree, Aerinn.
It's indeed very unfair
it made me so mad the other day when I went to Victoria’s Secret/PINK’s website (I’ve unsubscribed from their emails like 2-3 times & still get them 😐) & I saw a little earth symbol next to their logo. They’re pledging to do all of these sustainable things & like yeah, okay, still not gonna buy your products but it’s a start.
At the end they had the audacity to say “We’re learning just like you!!!” uhm, NO, you’re NOT “learning just like me”. You have abundant time, resources, money, & manpower to dedicate to the issue while I’m a 22 year old working full time, taking classes at a community college, & trying to educate myself on sustainability in my spare time in order to make the best choices possible. You’re a MULTIBILLION DOLLAR COMPANY who can HIRE people to make some major changes & reduce your carbon footprint. This is comparing apples to a whole gold covered f*cking ORCHARD! I saw it 2-3 days ago & I’m still so mad about it.
👏👏👏clap clap 👏👏👏
+ So annoyed when companies want to pass as people like when they're asking for "freedom of speech" (you're a company you're responsible for what you say that is necessarily a public message and therefore when saying problematic things you're promoting them) or in this case pretend to be individual with flaws to erase how systematically problematic they are it's gaslighting level 💯
The audacity of these companies 😮
OMG YESSS!!!
I didn't know about the companies pretending to be little brands, that's so bad, thank you for pointing it out
Didn't know that,. That's awful,
It’s good to be aware of for sure 🌿
@@Gittemary I learn sooo much from you and your videos. And you've set me on my next mission!!
That Colgate “sustainable” version pisses me off so much! Like “wow, buy our green toothpaste that’s cheaper than a small company’s “ and also their whole “save water” mark on the back makes me want to slap every Colgate CEO
What do you think about products like Colgate's Smile for Good (recyclable packaging) toothpaste that is clearly greenwashing, but puts a sustainable product in supermarkets across the UK at a reasonable price and might act as a gateway product for people who are in the habit of buying all their food/toiletries at the one store and wouldn't go out of their way to go to a zw shop/seek out small businesses and order online. By buying the product I am a) supporting a billion dollar company who should be doing this across their production line and are instead greenwashing only certain products but b) might be showing them that there is consumer interest which might lead to larger scale changes because of their reach as a larger company (product available in more stores, in refill systems like Loop, recognizing sustainability as a consumer priority). I'm conflicted!
@@fionam5879 great points Fiona!
im sorry but i dont get the sentiment here. lets punish big brands for being big brands when they are trying to improve? big companies fulfill a demand that we create. products like this test the waters to see if wed buy them over the "cheap and unethical" version. if we buy them. they WILL switch. they WILL produce what we want because they dont care about ethics but they DO care about money. id rather have a world full of imperfect big cooporations producing more sustainable version of their products than what we get by only supporting small companies that arent affordable for most people and most people wont even realise exist. its sad but sometimes we NEED to play the game in order to win it instead of simply boycotting sales on a miniscule margin.
Chiara Koch thanks for replying - its true, we say that we need everyone doing zw imperfectly, but you’re the first person I’ve seen that allows that companies will also be imperfect. For instance there are lots of smaller brands testing the waters with sustainable packaging/formulas/refill options or have been a more sustainable choice all along but have been bought by unilever which I hear I should boycott no questions asked because of their past environmental record
That’s always confused me about companies, if they have a ‘sustainable’ product that effectively could replace their other similar/same products, then why do they still produce, sell and support their non-sustainable products, I can only think for profit
I have a story regarding Ben & Jerry's vegan ice creams. Just recently, they were promoting their vegan ice creams on German FB. One commenter added that it was sad, that their price was 60% more for the vegan varieties in comparison to their regular ones. B&J replied that the higher price was due to fair trade labour across all varieties, increased production costs and a higher price for almonds (in contrast to subsidized cow's milk). However, this comment backfired on them as commenters pointed out that the vegan varieties were only 10% more in other countries like the Netherlands and France and were coming from the same factory for all these markets. The vegan varieties are 7,99€-8,99€ and never in promotion, whereas the regular ones are often on promotion for 3,99€.
I find it so hard to consume sustainably when I have the feeling that companies (not only the big ones) are trying to make a buck out of ethical consumers wherever they can. Cutting back on consumption is not always sustainable, either. I'm just human and can only do so much.
That is outrageous! We indeed do not have such a big price difference in the Netherlands..still I do not buy any products from Ben&Jerrys anymore..because I feel like they pretend to be such a fairtrade and eco-concious company, but why then still sell so much milkbased icecream? Dunno, personally just don't want to support them anymore
@@marlochante1211, absolutely, that is what I also feel about them! Unfortunately, just a lot of greenwashing from them too as Gittemary pointed out.
This is actually a brand from unilever... just found out yesterday
I‘m living in Germany and by now Ben&Jerrys lowered the prices for the vegan ice cream to 5,99. That’s still not cheap but at least it now costs the same as the regular one’s.
Unilever! I hate that company so much because of their environmental, economic and cultural destruction in the Pacific (I researched them for my Master's thesis).But the other day I bought a Weis vegan icecream and discovered later that it was a Unilever product. The print on the packaging was so small!
and as I noticed, they're buying smaller brands so you can buy your favorite brand that started independent and then one day find out they now belong to Unilever :/ happened to me :/
RIP Talenti gelato 😭
Same with Alpro which was bought by Danone and now sadly Oatly who decided to sell 10% to Blackstone. Their CEO supports trumps with millions of dollars and Blackstone contributes to deforestation in the Amazon 😔
@@srkra_ YOU'RE KIDDING! I just started buying Talenti gelato. :( Do you know anything about Ben & Jerry's? Gittemary used their post in her video but I thought they were actually a decent company? I buy my ice cream from them almost exclusively.
@@helenameyer9778 Ben and Jerry's was founded by a couple great guys, but is a subsidiary of unilever now. They still use fair trade ingredients etc which makes the product better than some others, but the money you spend on it ultimately goes to a crappy company unfortunately :(
"Do i have an example?"
" *yes i have an example* "
😎😎😎
a brief timestamp
what is greenwashing 1:01
categories overview 1:47
direct greenwashing 1:53
indirect greenwashing 3:48
incognito greenwashing 6:49
political greenwashing 9:12
additional greenwashing 13:07
what can we do 16:09
When I worked at Publix we would advertise that we donate bread, produce, and Starbucks leftovers however we would actually just throw it out and we even had some people coming in to ask if they could collect our stuff and our manager would ghost them. He would tell us to tell him when they came in so he could be in the back and we were to tell them he wasn't there even tho he was. But he would still brag to customers saying we donated stuff when we didn't. It's supposed to be a company wide thing but some stores don't do it. :(
Thats awful! All these food chains are so wasteful!
Thank you so much for this video, super informative like always! Nestle is based in Switzerland and this autumn we'll have a votation whether or not companies based in Switzerland have to follow Swiss law when doing business outside of Switzerland. Thus nestle, Glencore etc. would have to stick to Swiss environmental/labor etc law.. I really hope it will pass!
It might be cynical of me but I feel like nestle would just move.. :( It’s a great initiative though and hopefully if it passes more countries will follow!
@@GoogelyeyesSaysHej true, however moving does come with many costs aswell on itself because they would probably loose many employees, they have huge office complex's etc.. Plus the damage to their image as moving would be a public statement of "we violate so many laws with our practice, that we have to move".. Plus, even if it passes, people still have to sue Nestlé.. Anyways, I think the public debate this started in Switzerland is already super valuable!
And yes!! Apparently the EU is watching closely and already drafting something similar, which would be great because that would mean that to evade these laws these enterprises would have to leave the EU, which I don't think is very likely to happen..
What was the outcome of this vote?
@@e.p.1908 unfortunately it didn't pass! there was a majority of the population who voted yes, but it also needed a majority of the states which was not attained :(
however, it lead to a very intense public debate about human rights violation etc by these big companies so i hope there's still some positive effect from this votation!
Not sure if this is greenwashing, but I hate it when something is labled as “made with natural ingredients” if you could make bread totally without natural ingredients that would be noteworthy not that it’s just normal bread
the whole natural thing is stupid, natural doesn't mean anything, by that logic you could add lead/uranium as they are naturally occurring.
It is greenwashing and a bad one as well, “natural” does not mean anything by itself but it’s used to make consumer feel that they are making better choices and like, sometimes an “unnatural” thing can be more sustainable 💁♀️💚🌿
I'm actually writing an article about greenwashing, so this came in handy for inspiration! Thank you☺️
Also, I really "like" how Colgate is now selling bamboo toothbrushes with their logo on it. Along with their other 100500 non-recyclable oral hygiene products
Yeah, perfectly sustainable *insert irony here* 😎😂
Ugh and I just bought their natural toothpaste today, smile for good I think it's called? My partner doesn't like the super natural toothpaste tabs so I figured I would give this one a shot. Now I'm not sure if I did the right thing... Sure, I bought something that is maybe a little bit more sustainable than regular toothpaste. But also, by buying this I'm showing Colgate that greenwashing works! Aaah, it's so difficult!
Ohh yes and their tooth tabs too.... Just gotta "love" that.
the incognito marketing drives me insane. the problem is these successful (actually sustainable) smaller brands keep getting bought out by the larger companies. i've had to change my deodorant 3 times because the companies keep getting bought out and it is exhausting trying to keep up.
i became so exhausted by all the somewhat necessary research just to do my shopping. I thought one day, i may has well just put the hard work into making as much as practical myself (i.e. diy skin care, house products etc). anything else that is too hard to make or just not practical, i just buy and use in ways it that i stretch it as far as possible. I'm pretty sure i would be a "bad" customer if they could like at what i spend on their products.....
*if they could see what i spend on their products....
I believe you can buy some on Etsy! But they're pretty pricey
You talked about that plant milk made by the dairy company who originally sued for calling plant milk "milk". Same thing happened with Just Mayo. Hellman's sued them for calling it Mayo arguing that the ingredients didn't make it "real Mayo". They dropped the lawsuit because it turns out that Hellman's made a product that by their own definition was not "real mayo". And then guess what they did? They came out with their own vegan Mayo. The bastards. What's worse is Just Mayo is having issues with their supply chain right now and OF COURSE hellman's is the only vegan mayo being sold in most stores.
I did not know this actually, what the actual fuck. I mean I am not surprised but I am hella disappointed. It just goes to show that vegan products can be highly unethical depending on the brand that owns them
I totaly agree with you. I don't think we should be ashamed to be bold about what we think about billion dollars company. I've always been very angry about them, and I let people know, we have to boycott them, otherwise nothing will change. We do the best we can, but with the money we have.
I LOVE how you cite your sources. God please never change. I know it must be extra work, but it gives your videos credibility when sharing them with potential people who might be quick to be skeptical about your data. Plus it’s made me trust your word more seeing you continue to be transparent about your information. Love it 👌🏻
I agree. I'm a huge believer on data based decisions myself. So I often find myself trending towards the people who cite data rather than just emotions :)
I am so happy that it is appreciated that means everything 💚🌿
@@Gittemary yes! Please never stop citing your sources! I love to see where the information comes from. And my science nerd heart loves it!
Even amongst sustainable, zero-waste influencers, I feel like you are one of the few that offer real information. Greenwashing, with social media, occurs on all levels.
Thank you so much 💚💚💚
This could be a whole separate episode to be honest cause there is a lot of greenwashing going on here on the internet, especially by influencers
Eco-shape?! WOW. I saw another water bottle company with green little decor on it and it says "bottle is recyclable" in green letters. I HATE GREENWASHING! I need to talk about it on my channel too
Please never stop posting and educating people, I know my environmental impact is not any smaller than the average person but I believe it's good to know what you are buying and supporting and be more aware so you can at least make changes no matter how tiny. And if we all made our part, not necessarily going full zero waste or vegan, the world would become a better place.
The information about H&M was shocking and heart breaking. I buy most clothes second hand. It's awful that big companies are lying and harming people just to line thier bank accounts 💔 thank you for this video
This video was so educational, thank you so much for putting this together! This year I stopped buying from Everlane because I was tired them advertising this “sustainable and radical” business front without revealing where their materials come from, etc. I’ve heard a lot about Everlane’s questionable greenwashing, which goes to show that even small-ish “green” companies can participate in greenwashing! Now I just buy my clothes secondhand. Tip: I use the app Good On You to learn more about companies’ sustainability and ethics.
Where are their materials coming from?
I've checked out everlane's website recently. I saw that their factories are all over the globe so there is quite a lot of shipping involed I guess especially when the factory is far from my country.
So that already rules them out for me because i prefer products from my country or europe, or like you say second hand of course!
... I mean, they produce all over the world, but then the materials come from yet other places?
Hi, another very informative video. It's so strange - Nestle or Coca Cola will never be green, sustainable or labourfriendly - nice try. I hope not too much people trust in that.
8:05 The fact that they called the drink "honest" is even more infuriating, when in fact it's a huge polluter pretending to be a small sustainable business :/ At this point, "greenwashed" products make me more mad that the ones who don't pretend to be sustainable! Great video, subscribed :)
I've only started recently buying from Etsy - yes, they say that they're donating to "greener causes" and I wanna believe them, but it's the only way I can support local businesses right now since I live in a big city with the virus still rampant :(((
What's wrong with Etsy?
I almost got fooled by the new "green" line by Colgate...
I wish that you could make one video about the ecological footprint of superfoods trends or something like that. Maybe about different powders, maca, spirulina etc. :)
Excellent video! Seems I am always suspicious of products, checking to see who the parent company is. Remember when The Body Shop was bought by L’Oréal? Thankfully no longer owned by them. I do go around telling people that Nestle doesn’t make bottled water, they make plastic bottles. We, the consumers, have the power to change things. Bullying companies is a beautiful thing indeed 😊
If I am not mistaken it now belongs to Natura. Or the company that owns Natura. And they were doing "eco" products before it was popular. Hopefully they are a green company. They were Brazilian, I don't know if they still are, which makes me doubt a bit.
Maggie Bartz Yes they are. Grateful that Natura owns them now. TBS refilled bottles before it was popular back in the early 90’s when I worked there. We were a rebel company 😊
It’s so cute when you get upset about these things, it makes me happy 😅
I want to give you a hug!
Thank you for your great work ❤️
A few days back, I saw in the supermarket a bamboo toothbrush by Colgate (Colgate-Palmolive). Total greenwashing, and 5€ for a company which is not eco at all...
I emailed Nestlé, and they had the audacity to tell me “child labor has no place in *their* supply chain”. Then they said they’re taking action to progressively eliminate it. So I emailed them back because those are very contradictory statements. Does it or does it not take place, ya know? They replied, and said if they had sufficient evidence of slavery or trafficking they report it immediately. That left me with even more questions.
Haha they are trying their hardest to be vague and imprecise so they continue their exploitation but fam, we see right through that shit 😎✌️
Ooh, I loved this video! I learn a lot thanks to your content! I have been avoiding Nestle for years, now I buy my chocolate from a small company in Galicia, my hometown in Spain, and I feel proud of giving my money to a small bussiness that employs local people and uses fairtrade chocolate🙂
Thank you for this video, it is so helpful. I love how you have such positive vibes in your videos, even when talking about serious/maddening issues. One particular one that makes me want to scream is Garnier slapping a "vegan" label on a few of their products when they still test on animals.
I like the way you presented this material. Im with you 100%. One thing Im glad about is the internet to help give us a powerful voice.
That “buying plant milk from a butcher shop” simile really drove the ball home for me, thank you for that… I was already reluctant about buying vegan foods from non-vegan brands, but now I know I won’t anymore.
Such a good video! I’ve set a goal to purchase only small business and ethically made items for Christmas gifts this year. Can’t wait to see how it goes :)
Yes! Same
Good! I definitely think that many of us in this movement slowly trend towards purchasing from local small businesses. My family did a "Low Waste Christmas" last year where we only gave gifts that we made or obtained second hand. It was really cool the gift ideas that some of them came up with!
Personal pet peeve: Yesterday's News cat litter. Ostensibly, litter made out of recycled newspaper! Huzzah! ...it doesn't say what % is recycled and its parent company is NESTLE. *cuss*
A few months ago, I purchased a face moisturizer that presented itself as being from a Black-owned and woman-owned business. I did some more research after buying it and found that the company was originally Black-owned and woman-owned, but the company had been bought by Unilever years ago.
this is my first time watching a video of yours and 1. WOW you are gorgeous 2. this was such a well done video! I have a sustainability degree and still learned something :)
Thank you so much, I hope you’ll find more inspiration on my channel 🌿💚
Thank you for this video, this is the first time I've seen a video talking about the different types of Green washing.
15% less plastic because the bottle is 15% smaller and being sold at the same price. AKA 15% more profits + more sales from green-washing + 15% reduction in cost of producing the bottle = $$$
Hi Gittemary!! Your video it's really interesting. Even if I try to be aware of Green Washing, sometimes it's really difficult and requires time and a deep search to realise if it is or not a case of green washing. But what I really believe and value from your video is that it's necessary to raise awareness in general public, people that aren't that interested in sustainability but still want to reduce their impact in the Earth. And I you video helps to do this. So thanks!
Please keep spreading information like this!
This is such a wonderful video thank you so much for it! I love how you're stating the importance of being aware of greenwashing and trying to move away from it but still recognizing that it's difficult to do and that not everyone has the resources for it, I think this is exactly the right way to be looking at the issue (well that's my personal opinion anyways ^-^')
I try my best to shop at independent shops & upcycle ,
Thanks so much for this. Your videos are awesome, and it is SOOO important that people are educated in these areas!
Very beneficial, thanks for taking the time to inform us all :)
Thank your for summing up the infos. I believe it’s important to talk about this since this is complete consumer missleading, which is hypothethically punished by law..ehm ehm. Also thank you for making us feel better if we don’t have choices but these brands - I’m currently living in an area where thrifting and vintage clothing costs the double than buying fast fashion, and as a student with no income I can’t afford the difference.
Dóra Kristofóri have you tried eBay? I get loads of really cheap, lovely things from there 🙂
Rosa Butcher yes, also etsy and depop. The problem is still the same: I can get clothes in fast fashion store under 10€, and second hand no. I’m trying to minimize my purchases for this reason, but when something breaks I need to replace it somehow
I'd love to hear about green energy tariffs, I was really sceptical as they say their electricity comes from renewable sources. In the UK all electricity is pooled into something called the national grid, energy suppliers buy it from there to sell on to their consumers, so there is no way of knowing where your electricity has been produced. A quick google, and it appears that all they have to do is buy a cheap certificate which might only cost them £1.50 a year per customer, which goes to energy-saving schemes. It's probably better to go for a standard tariff and donate £5 to a environmental charity, it would be cheaper and do more good.
Greenwashing has been around for a long time, but I think it has really gotten worse in the past few years. About 20 years ago I was making soaps and skin care roducts and it took so much time to find truly quality base materials. Suppliers were not very upfront with ingredients, production, sourcing - that HAS improved now. It is tough to be a conscious consumer in a busy world. I keep trying to get better.
this video was so informative, thank you Gittemary! would definitely love more content on greenwashing and the companies that do so. also maybe it would be nice to list a few companies after the video which would be really good to support instead of the greenwashing ones. that way people know where to go when they need something :)
Good to know this stuff....but so discouraging! :P
Side note : when she said "i'm going to sound cynical" as if it was a bad thing TWICE it threw me into an ocean of surprise and misunderstanding ! Is it because i'm french and we're REALLY into cynism or is it just because she's her and has a wholesome personality ?
PS really well thought video
This is fantastically done. I shop at H&M constantly, but found there’s a lot of stylist brands that are cheap and fair trade
10:13 😂😂 dying over here, your fact drops just kill me with laughter but then with straight truth. Love it!!
😎😎😎🔥🔥🔥
I would love to hear more about Method and Ecover cleaning products.
Love love love your videos and your vibe. Thank you for all you do!
Yes, please inform us on all the big corporations. I had no idea that Coca-Cola owned/produced Honest Tea. What are your thoughts on the Oatly company selling ‘out’ to the Blackstone group?
Super informative! You can never be too careful with this sorta thing. It's sad that we have to do all of the work whereas the companies make zero effort when clearly they could go green.
This helped me navigate the field, thank you!
I knew that Nestlé had been in some bad situations, and I knew that they had been there lots of times.
The Scope of how wrecked they are, I would have never imagined though.
It's sad to see that brands so big do not even want to try. The thought of them making less money (still making tons of money) is apparently enough to make them "unable" to do more. Shame. Shame. Shame.
I have never been this early. Sending you love!
I mean it’s good that they have more sustainable option. If we bye the more sustainable one more than the other one than they will be more sustainable for the profit.
Very educational........love the topic and would like more. Thoroughly enjoy this.......thanks
Excellent video love this content
Well said! So important to do your research 👍. Love your videos ⭐️
This was an awesome video! Thanks for taking the time to explain things! Love your channel! 🌿
you r my favourite youtuber now!
Thank you for the wonderful content, although greenwashing makes me angry. :D
Recently I found out that Santé (Sante?) is part of Nestlé. I was quite disappointed cause it doesn´t say it on the package, so one has to do research and that makes consuming difficult at some point.
Thank you for this great video! I love that you state the facts in a compassionate way while not shying away from the truth about big corporations and their green washing strategies. I was wondering whether you could do a video about Oatly and other smaller companies that get bought by large corporations for their image and of course their revenue. Since these smaller brands already have a large customer base (mainly sustainably-minded), I think this is would be an interesting additional aspect to this video. 🌱❤
Excellent information, thank you for sharing. I'm not sure which one is more evil, Monsanto or Nestle.
Yet again, you amaze me! I just absolutely love how you approach these topics and get this information out! These things need to be heard and you are spreading it beautifully! 💕
I'm so sad about the plantmilk jörd. I have been using it for about a month, and really liked it, one of my faves. But I first learned a few days ago that it was owned by Arla, which made me so angry, frustrated and sad.. So now I'm not going to buy it ever again, even though it was one of my faves :( And thank you so so much for making these informative videoes!
When I lived in Sweden I was in awe of their McDonald's ads. Simply because it was so greenwashed it was easy to forget it was a McDonald's ad. Maybe they were more sustainable in Sweden, but as a whole, the company is responsible for a lot of trash (useless toys and single use everything!) and carbon emissions, I don't know who they are trying to kid.
Nevermind health implications that come from eating McDonald's often.
I wonder what is the best choice talking about recycled materials. I feel like 10 percent recycled material is better than 0 percent recycled material, but then again, if I buy that product I'm supporting the company and sending a message that this is enough when it's not. :/ it's like the consumer can never win...
This is a great video, would love to see more of this content in future videos. I learned a lot.
I literally didn't know any of these things thank you so much for informing me
very useful video! thank you!
I have a (maybe silly) question: is Muji one of these companies? Is there any reliable information among what they claim to be sustainable?
I noticed it especially moving to Finland: here it's even harder to understand the actual behaviour of a brand. They all have this fancy "green -eco-etc." design and in some cases even their labels seem to be ok... But then you find out that it's just a facade.
I think Muji is green washing, there was something about the cotton they use in their clothes? I don't really remember, but it was a pretty big deal just a few weeks ago.
@@matildas3177 thanks for the info!
I think there’s a thing about them using labour camp cotton from wuhan, and in some countries.
also i wish we would all write emails to politicians and demand that greenwashing should be forbidden by law. that would be sick
Honestly the additional greenwashing thing seems like a positive affect of the green and zero waste trend. Yes, these companies should be doing more but the fact that we as consumers were able to force them to have a sustainable line in order to market themselves still is pretty impressive and it kind of makes me happier than outraged
First :) I'm super excited about this video. I've been wondering a lot about this topic and have suspected some companies I've been buying from of green washing without really knowing how to tell if it's true. Thank you for this!
Edit: Okay so I jut watched the video and wow, that was a lot to take in. On one hand I'm grateful to have this information, but it's also disheartening. The things these major corporations do are disgusting and I feel like I've been noticing them more and more. One smaller company I got some sort of more indirect green washing vibes from is Nobody's Child, which is small U.K. clothing brand that advertises itself as sustainable fashion, much like Reformation, but more affordable. I jumped at the change to by clothes from them since they were "green" and something I could actually afford, but there's a disturbingly small amount of information on their site about what actually makes them sustainable when you start to look. It makes me sad because I really like their style of clothes, but don't want to support brands who are green washing their customers. On the other hand, I still feel better buying clothes from them than a company like H and M. It's confusing. Would you consider them more sustainable or still just another form of green washing and an unsustainable company?
P.s. I loved this vid :)
In Australia, there's currently an ad going around from a major company claiming that we all need to do more, so they're "doing their bit" by making their bottle... recyclable. It's a plastic bottle. The previous bottle was plastic too, but apparently an unrecyclable kind (presumably mixed materials). I'm sorry, is this 1990? But far worse still is that the ad goes on to demand real change from consumers and literally calls them out and criticises them for not implementing 'real' change and only being active about sustainable living on social media. It made me so mad every time I saw it. Honestly, the gall! The gaaaaalll. I split my time between two different countries, and I'm honestly relieved to be back on the other side of the world just so that I don't have to witness that ad anymore.
Greenwashing ads are a huge trend on Australian TV in 2020. One sees several during most ad breaks. I'm not a TV watcher, but I lived with my family during lockdown and they spent pretty much the entire period on a 24-hour TV cycle. That ad was triggering my fury every hour like clockwork for months. ):
Great video. The other day I found that my favorite tea Pukka is owned by Unilever and I was so disappointed. Also when a couple of years ago Coca-Cola bought Lurisia, I got so angry! 😢
I’m just starting my eco journey and found this really informative, thank you so much 😊
I was watching this to get in the mood for my uni paper about greenwashing/green marketing... from the marketing perspective, specifically design. So I guess I’m somewhat of a bad guy here. I don’t really know where I stand on it myself as I’d consider myself one of those people who constantly fall for it. Anyway I want to give you a big compliment on your video as it presented many facts in a way that did not convey „please feel bad“ and instead say „please be aware“ which is great. Many things I was looking at, even from professional journalism, failed to do that. So thank you so much, I actually had fun doing something for uni once lol
I would love more videos about greenwashing companies and products!
Honestly, without having confirmed as much, I would still be willing to bet that Nestle already had the equipment to make that shape of bottle, and so the 15% reduction in plastic was just whatever allowed them to make a greenwashing claim while still resulting in a profit. I'm very certain that sacrificing even 5% of profits on that item in order to make it sustainable would receive a horrified and resounding no. Multinational billion dollar companies seem perfectly happy to implement as much change as they can profit from--and no more.
Amazing video. Thank you so much!
Omg this was so informative, especially about Nestle 😱 I never knew that! I hope you get more subscribers, the way you research and share about the eco-friendly lifestyle is so amazing and helpful. You were one of my first inspirations in leading a zero waste/less waste life along with Shelby. Thanks so much for opening my eyes!
Go Gitte! x
I would love a list of products and companies that you think is a BIG NONO and would never buy, thank you for educating us!
This. Video. Is. Awesome. So much valuable information that is HARD to find. Not everyone is perfect but being AWARE of what's going on is key for people to make better and better products. I definitely learned a ton here!
This might come as a shock to a lot of people because it has become a really big trend among people that are into sustainability or “greener” interior design but the house plant collecting thing is very much greenwashed. It does come with some great things such as learning about plant needs, propagation or care but actually most plants that are marketed as house plants are from tropical enviroments such as the amazon region or asian rainforest regions. The issue with this is that most people who own this plants (eg. monstera deliciosa) do not live in this regions thus introducing exotic plants into their enviroments (which can cause a serious impact on your ecosystem), increasing their demand and wasting resources in keeping them alive. To anyone thinking of buying some plants for their home, please do some research on plants native to your region, that way you are supporting businesses that sell plants that are actually good for the enviroment you live in. They will also need a lot less caring for. And if you can plant them in the ground instead of having them in pots!!
So happy to see people like you speaking about it! I did my masters dissertation several years ago on greenwashing and at the time no one knew what it was. Big thumbs up from me, spread the word!
I've always wondered. A meat company has come out with vegan products, is it good to buy those vegan products? You're showing that company you're happy that they are transitioning, or is it bad since your money is going to a company that also mass produces meat?
Same with buying Ben&Jerry's knowing it's from Unilever, etc
Can someone please talk about how Proctor and Gamble (apart of the big 3) owns native. The same brand who owns secret is blindsiding us and it makes me so sad.
an awful attempt to greenwashing from our Belgian government was when one of our climate-ministers was going to the climate conference (COP 25) in Madrid. She flew there - and that's how she called it - "Planepooling". Great try, miss Demir, next time better.
Thank you for this super helpfull video