On December 18th in South Korea, a climate activist group accused POSCO, a steel company, of Greenwashing.

In the past two years, POSCO declared ‘2050 carbon neutrality’ and introduced ‘Greenate,’ a brand that claims to produce carbon-neutral products.

However, recent scrutiny revealed a lack of sufficient evidence supporting POSCO’s green claims, particularly regarding Greenate’s eco-friendly products.

Greenwashing, also known as green sheen, is a marketing technique where companies manipulate and persuade the public that their products and policies are environmentally friendly.

Coined in the 1980s by Jay Westerveld, the term emerged when a Fijian hotel used deceptive tactics to appear eco-friendly while simultaneously engaging in environmentally harmful practices.

Throughout the years, greenwashing has hindered real environmental activism and solutions by deceiving customers and presenting false examples of eco-friendliness to the public.

Examples of greenwashing include mislabeling products, such as claiming a product is 100% recyclable without specifying which parts are recyclable.

This deceptive practice allows companies to lower production costs, hindering genuine efforts towards sustainability.

By doing so, companies prevent real activism from occurring by creating a false sense of reward for their customers.

Although the term originated in the 60s, greenwashing has become more prevalent in recent years, especially among European companies.

While it was initially common in marketing, the trend has spread to various sectors, with a 70% increase in greenwashing found within global banks and financial services in the previous 12 months.

By the end of September 2023, 148 cases of greenwashing had been recorded, with European financial institutions responsible for 106 of them.

Recognizing the severity of the issue, the UK has taken action to curb greenwashing, and implemented a new “anti-greenwashing” rule from May 2024.

This rule prohibits businesses selling in the UK from making vague claims about the environmental impact of their products without proper evidence.

Some examples of the so-called claims include products labeled as ‘eco-friendly,’ ‘environmentally friendly,’ ‘natural,’ ‘recycled,’ or ‘biodegradable.’

Despite this regulation, customers are urged to remain vigilant to avoid falling prey to manipulative marketing.

Some easy tips can include: avoiding vague or misleading language, conducting short research on a certain product, observing tiny details to ensure the company supports its claims, and more.

Jooha Roh 

Grade 9

Korea International School