What Is Purpose-Washing And How To Avoid It
My daughter is obsessed with climate science and protecting the earth. She has roped me into watching more episodes of Our Planet than I can count, so when the newest season came out, it was a must-watch event in our household.
As I listened to David Attenborough narrate the events on screen, I felt that powerful urge to continue doing my part to address the climate crisis while frustration welled inside me at the countless organizations that claim to support environmental sustainability or embrace social responsibility.
In light of my two most recent articles on how your business can address social challenges (Part 1 and Part 2), it feels important to talk about greenwashing and purpose-washing, explain what they mean, why you shouldn’t do it, and how to avoid it in your business.
Greenwashing refers to the misleading or false portrayal of a company's environmental practices, and purpose-washing pertains to insincere claims of social responsibility. Engaging in these practices can be incredibly damaging to impact initiatives, negatively impact your business’s reputation, and erode trust with your consumers and stakeholders.
In addition to the ethics of it, there are many reasons you should avoid this practice. First, green- or purpose-washing undermines genuine efforts toward sustainability and social impact. By creating an illusion of eco-friendliness or social responsibility, companies divert attention and resources away from real change, hindering progress in environmental conservation and societal advancement.
Moreover, greenwashing and purpose-washing erode consumer trust. When individuals realize they have been misled by false claims, they become skeptical of all sustainability or social responsibility messaging. This skepticism can impede the growth of the green market and discourage consumers from supporting genuinely responsible businesses. It’s crucial to recognize that building trust takes time and effort, and greenwashing or purpose-washing can severely damage your brand's credibility.
With that said, I want to differentiate between these deceptive practices and honest yet incomplete strides toward sustainability and social impact. Impact efforts made by your business should involve sincere efforts to improve your practices and contribute positively to the environment and society. We can all acknowledge that achieving full sustainability or social responsibility is a journey that takes time and continuous improvement. Businesses on this path prioritize genuine action, even if they haven't achieved perfection or fully realized their vision yet.
To ensure you're on the right track, consider the following steps:
Be open and transparent about your progress, challenges, and plans for improvement. Share information and metrics to back up your claims and engage in honest dialogue with your stakeholders. This transparency builds trust and allows people in your business ecosystem to understand your commitment.
Recognize that sustainability and social impact are ongoing journeys. Set measurable goals and report progress over time. Communicate your dedication to continuous improvement and share how you're working toward your goals. This approach demonstrates authenticity and fosters trust.
Seek collaborations with credible organizations, nonprofits, and experts in the field to drive change collectively. When you embrace external guidance and expertise, this collaborative approach strengthens your efforts and adds credibility to your sustainability and social impact initiatives.
While you may not have achieved all your sustainability or social impact goals, be transparent about the steps you have taken and the areas you’re actively working on. Provide concrete evidence and share the specifics of your initiatives. This demonstrates your commitment to tangible results.
Remember, building a sustainable and socially responsible brand takes time, effort, and commitment. Your dedication to genuine progress will set you apart from businesses engaged in superficial marketing ploys, and those efforts will foster trust, attract conscious consumers, and make a positive and lasting impact on the environment and society.
Here’s to making a real impact.
Oh! And if you haven’t taken the time to watch Our Planet, I highly recommend it!
RESOURCES
10-Step Roadmap for Businesses Embracing Social Impact - In this step-by-step guide, you’ll walk away with clarity around your social impact goals, a strategy to bring it to life, and the questions you need to better understand how to align your operations, engage stakeholders, and measure your progress. You can download it for free here.
Impact Strategy Session - If you’re at the point in your business journey where this resonates with you and you want to sanity-check your efforts, I’d love to chat with you! Schedule a free impact session to talk about your business, the impact you’re looking to make, and we’ll build a plan to get you there! Click here to schedule a time that works for you.
