Table 2 Examples of greenwashing through... | Emerald Publishing

Table 2

Examples of greenwashing through seven sins

Indicators	Examples
Being not purely green products/production	BP (Beyond Petroleum) promoted using the solar energy but, 96% of its energy is based on oil and gas. In this example, ClientEarth claimed BP for misleading consumers through its advertisements (Robinson, 2022)
Having no proof of green products/production	In 2020, Ryanair promoted that it was the lowest-emissions airline without any proof or evidence (AKEPA, 2021)
Having a broader green image for products/production	Lipton Ice Tea used advertising titled “Deliciously Refreshing 100% recycled”. However, it is not 100% recycled (Ormesher, 2022)
Misleading consumers about green products/production	Coca-Cola’s PlantBottle is presented as an alternative to usual plastic bottles. However, bioplastics are not sustainable materials in general (Kempii, 2021)
Claiming false green assumptions about products/production	In 2019, McDonald’s began a new campaign using recyclable paper alternatives to reduce plastic waste. Although new recyclable paper alternatives were criticized due to their troubles with sustainability; McDonald’s still kept using new recyclable paper alternatives (Koons, 2022)
Expanding green product categories or production processes falsely	Many fast fashion brands can mislead consumers. On this point, H&M’s campaign about recycling clothing influenced many consumers, but recycled clothing was less than 35%. On the other side, consumers think recycling clothing is a purely sustainable process (recycle coach, 2022)
Using false labels	Fiji Water was sued for using incorrect claims as being “environmentally superior water bottle”. As reported by Forbes, Fiji Water gave too high level for carbon emission (Riley, 2020)

Indicators	Examples
Being not purely green products/production	BP (Beyond Petroleum) promoted using the solar energy but, 96% of its energy is based on oil and gas. In this example, ClientEarth claimed BP for misleading consumers through its advertisements (Robinson, 2022)
Having no proof of green products/production	In 2020, Ryanair promoted that it was the lowest-emissions airline without any proof or evidence (AKEPA, 2021)
Having a broader green image for products/production	Lipton Ice Tea used advertising titled “Deliciously Refreshing 100% recycled”. However, it is not 100% recycled (Ormesher, 2022)
Misleading consumers about green products/production	Coca-Cola’s PlantBottle is presented as an alternative to usual plastic bottles. However, bioplastics are not sustainable materials in general (Kempii, 2021)
Claiming false green assumptions about products/production	In 2019, McDonald’s began a new campaign using recyclable paper alternatives to reduce plastic waste. Although new recyclable paper alternatives were criticized due to their troubles with sustainability; McDonald’s still kept using new recyclable paper alternatives (Koons, 2022)
Expanding green product categories or production processes falsely	Many fast fashion brands can mislead consumers. On this point, H&M’s campaign about recycling clothing influenced many consumers, but recycled clothing was less than 35%. On the other side, consumers think recycling clothing is a purely sustainable process (recycle coach, 2022)
Using false labels	Fiji Water was sued for using incorrect claims as being “environmentally superior water bottle”. As reported by Forbes, Fiji Water gave too high level for carbon emission (Riley, 2020)

Source(s): By the author