We are spinning out on spin these days.

“Yes, but I think greenwashing is good. Hypocrisy is the first step to real change.” says Hunter Lovins in reply to the question “is there more greenwashing now that green is popular?” in the recent Sustainable Industries Journal.

OK, interesting idea. Um, why?

“If a company makes a claim about something, then you can hold them accountable”

The logic is that once the company has made a claim, in order to avoid being called greenwashers, they will try to back up that claim with real action.”And then as they make steps to bring their performance in line with what they’re marketing, they actually see the benefit of that improved performance, and it becomes something they integrate into their business for real.” says Lovins.
Do all efforts at greening necessarily lead to business benefits?

Greenwashing still seems kind of risky as a marketing strategy. Very hard to bring consumers back with another campaign that says “this time we mean it”! Now that would be seen as hypocrisy, unless of course, we take another spin.