Another Case of Greenwashing?

Coca-Cola recently announced that its Times Square billboard is going green as well as 29 neighboring billboards. All 30 billboards will be powered by wind, which would be the equal to powering 38 hourseholds for a year. This sounds like a real turning point for the environment – with the bright lights of Times Square and multi-national Coca-Cola going green. But critics wonder, is this really a green initiative and commitment to the environment or is it another case of greenwashing? 

Greenwashing is when companies misrepresent their greenness in marketing – they either claim they’re green when they’re not, or they claim to be more green than they actually are. Basically, greenwashing is lying about being green. For instance, a company might claim to use 100% recycled paper when in reality the paper is only made of 75% recycled content.

Coca-Cola’s Environmental Stewardship

To me, it seems as though Coca-Cola is really trying to be more environmentally friendly in its operations. The company has already taken strides in reducing its water usage with its water conservation initiatives around the world and its recycling campaign in the U.S. The Times Square announcement falls perfectly in line with Coca-Cola’s new campaign: “Refresh. Recycle. Repeat.” This campaign supports its goal to recycle or reuse 100% of its aluminum cans and plastic bottles in the U.S. By promoting its green efforts early on, Coca-Cola is breaking new ground for multi-national consumer goods companies.

Showcasing Corporate Initiatives

Up until recently, corporate social initiatives were only announced internally in annual reports and externally by the PR departments when there was an image problem. Marketing managers have been too afraid to promote social initiatives publically due to the possible backlash if someone found out about an unsavory practice. Coca-Cola’s Times Square announcement showcases its leadership and also might be a precursor to more international companies evolving to current trends and customer demands.

Consumer Shift to be Green

This shift in emphasis can be attributed to mainstream America dealing with the same challenges as corporate America, but on a smaller scale.

In the past few years, consumer attitudes have shifted toward the environment. People are more concerned about their own carbon footprint and are buying up LED light bulbs, hybrid cars and organic cotton clothing. Consumers are worried about their actions on their health and the environment for this generation and generations to come. President Obama and other high profile figures have helped bring global warming and other environmental concerns into the mainstream.

According to a 2008 DoubleClick Performics survey, 60% of consumers say it is either “extremely important” or “very important” for companies to be environmentally conscious. Green consumers are frustrated by the time it takes to change over to a green social economy, but applaud anyone’s and any company’s efforts to go green.

Coca-Cola has taken a giant step in the green direction, and now we wait for other companies to join in.