Brands have been accused of making misleading and mendacious packaging claims.
Greenwash.com, created by Changing Markets Foundation, says it is exposing deceptive greenwashing tactics used by big brands to mislead consumers.
Companies such as Coca-Cola, Unilever, IKEA, Lidl, TESCO and Kim Kardashian’s clothing brand, SKIMS, are among those called out by Changing Markets Foundation for such claims. Claims about ‘oceanbound’ and recyclable plastic are some of the most common and come with little proof of how they address the plastic crisis.
Ocean and beach plastic packaging and products are among the terms being called out as greenwash by Changing Markets Foundation.
The foundation’s research has revealed a slew of product examples, initiatives and global adverts by retailers and producers,
which obscure the real impact of plastic from consumers. By way of example, Unilever has replaced recyclable PET bottles of washing liquid with pouches as part of its eco refill push. But unlike PET bottles, the pouches are unrecyclable and only contain two refills, Changing Markets Foundation found.
Changing Markets recently launched its report, Under Wraps? What Europe’s supermarkets aren’t telling us about plastic, which highlighted UK supermarkets’ soft plastic take-back schemes as a false solution, with waste often being exported to countries such as Turkey, which have much less capacity to deal with plastic pollution. The report also highlighted a lack of systemic solutions to the plastic crisis by more than 70 supermarkets analysed, including Tesco.
Recently, the Changing Markets Foundation joined forces with Zero Waste Europe and the beverage industry, calling for closed-loop recycling and effective deposit return systems. The beverage producers have mandatory targets
for collection and recycled content in the EU.
Changing Markets Foundation is urging the public to visit Greenwash.com and share case studies on social media. It is also urging regulators to clamp down on greenwashing. George Harding-Rolls, Campaign Manager at Changing Markets Foundation, commented: “Our latest investigation exposes a litany of misleading and mendacious claims from household names consumers should be able to trust. This is just the tip of the iceberg, and it is of crucial importance that regulators
take this issue seriously. “The industry is happy to gloat its green credentials with little substance on the one hand, while
continuing to perpetuate the plastic crisis on the other. We are calling out greenwashing so the world can see that voluntary action has led to a market saturated with false claims. We must embrace systemic solutions, such as absolute reductions in plastic packaging and mandatory deposit return systems.”
