What do the green logo of McDonald’s in Europe, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s green speech and an automaker that plants a tree when you buy your car have in common?
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These are three examples of greenwashing (or greenwashing), using the green appearance to hide a less than stellar reality.
Two speakers from the Global Youth Biodiversity Network gave a workshop to identify ‘eco show-offs’.
With kind approval
McDonald’s logo in France is green because it’s greener.
“In France, for many years, the McDonald’s logo has been on a green background, not red like here, and that’s the archetype of empty greenwashing,” says Julie Safourcade, 25.
“If a company suddenly adorns itself with symbols of environmental protection, be careful. »
Very often the main symptom of ecohypocrisy is a lurid exaggeration of signs of virtue.
“An all-green packaging that says: sustainable, natural, paraben-free, silicone-free and with botanical drawings everywhere, that’s suspicious,” adds Ambre Bichard, 21.
“A certification label may well have been created by manufacturers who assign it themselves. »
Too little subtle greenwashing can get weird. “The Swedish car brand Skoda once said: We will plant a tree if you buy one of our vehicles. Although the car has not yet left the factory, the CO2 emissions from the construction already outrageously exceed the CO2 binding capacity of a tree,” laughs Ms. Bichard.
Virtuoso eco-shower
As the best example of an eco-showoff, the two speakers cite a politician who addressed them at the opening of COP15: Justin Trudeau.
“He’s the perfect guy cliché and his environmentalist speech is impeccable…to make people forget his pro-oil politics!” »
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