Can sustainability equal greenwashing?
Posted on Wed, Jun 08, 2011 @ 10:05 AM
It seems like everything today is being called "sustainable". Practices that have been going on for years are now being termed as sustainable. Compliance with basic environmental rules and regulations is now being called sustainable. Products, made the same way they have been for years with little change in the manufacturing process, are being called sustainable.
Is this truly sustainable, or an example of the term being mis-used or over-used? Is this greenwashing (misleading environmental or sustainable claims being used for someone's benefit)?
True Sustainability
Truly sustainable actions seem to have a few common traits:
- They go beyond what is merely required.
- They take a longer view of the overall impact, and do not seem to be directly tied to profitability.
- They occur within a more holistic view of the process, and as part of a larger consideration of overall impact on environment, resources, society, and economy.
- They don't appear to be quick fixes or activities chosen to jump on the sustainability bandwagon.
In short, they are real.
Greenwashed Sustainability
Dubious claims of sustainability often seem to involve:
- Claiming required regulatory compliance actions as being sustainable. Simple permit compliance does little to advance sustainability.
- Outdated practices portrayed as being sustainable. If it's the same way it's been done for the past 50 years, is it truly sustainable?
- Singular actions not part of a larger system. If a plant does one thing that is sustainable, does that make it a sustainable facility? Probably not.
That's not to knock past practices that truly are sustainable (not all good ideas are new ones), and everyone has to start somewhere - and with sustainability, all should start somewhere!
Want to see a good discussion of sustainable concrete? One of the most sustainable products on earth is concrete, and this discussion outlines many of the aspects involved in sustainability, and makes it clear that its not smoke and mirrors.
But true sustainability involves more than jumping on the bandwagon, and throwing around buzzwords. It takes a real, in-depth of the entire scope and impact of a process, and likely making some real changes. It involves evaluating the "3 Ps of Sustainability" I've blogged about previously. Most who do this find out they not only have less impact, but also experience many unexpected benefits (such as cost savings).
And, those who embrace true sustainability can rightly claim they do so.
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