Greenwashing refers to the practice by which some companies pretend to implement environmental sustainability strategies in order to capture the interest of consumers.
It is a negative term applied to companies that promote themselves as environmentally friendly when they are not. Indeed, green = verde, washing = lavare, and together they recall the verb to whitewash = imbiancare. The meaning of the word is therefore to hide behind the word “green”. (Source: Wikipedia). The term is not new: it was coined in the 1970s/1980s.
Greenwashing can also be seen as a marketing strategy, as it draws the attention of environmentally conscious consumers. However, companies that adopt this strategy hide behind the green label to conceal practices that are not in favour of the environment; indeed, sometimes they serve only to increase profits.
