Greenwashing in India: Meaning, Types, Examples & Regulations
Green Washing
Greenwashing is the process of making false or misleading environmental claims to mislead customers.
It is the method through which organizations spread misleading perception about their products or services that suggests they are more environmentally responsible than is the reality.
The practice of greenwashing is used regularly by corporations, governments, and other entities to deceive the public into believing that they are doing more for the environment than they truly are for gaining better public perception.
Greenwashing misleads and exploits consumers who prefer to buy their goods and services from environmentally conscious brands.Deceptive green advertising and marketing misleads consumers and can shift customer loyalty with little basis on truth.
Types of Green Washing
Companies involved in Greenwashing perpetuate disinformation about their products or services in a variety of ways.
One common form of greenwashing is to include misleading labeling or bury environmentally unsound practices in the fine print. This can include use of terminology such as ‘eco-friendly’ or ‘sustainable,’ which are vague and not verifiable.
Imagery of nature or wildlife can also depict environmental friendliness, even when the product is not green.
Examples:
- H&M, a fast fashion brand, has been accused of greenwashing in India due to its claims of sustainability and eco-friendliness.
- Companies putting ecolabels on single-use plastics
Regulating Greenwashing in India
In India, the government has taken some steps to regulate greenwashing through various rules and laws. Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has implemented a Green Product Certification Scheme (GPCS) to ensure that products marketed as eco-friendly meet certain environmental standards.Under this scheme, a product can be certified as green only if it meets specific criteria laid down in BIS standards.
There are several green labels in India, such as the Energy Star label, the Bureau of Energy Efficiency label, the Ecomark label, and the Forest Stewardship Council label.
These labels are given to products that meet certain criteria, such as energy efficiency, water conservation, and sustainable sourcing of raw materials.
Apart from this, India’s advertising watchdog, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), has also developed guidelines for advertising eco-friendly products according to which companies must provide scientific evidence to support any environmental claims they make in their advertisements.
Rules and Laws Against Greenwashing in India
In India, greenwashing is considered an unfair trade practice and is regulated by the Consumer Protection Act, of 2019, and the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI).
The Consumer Protection Act, of 2019, prohibits false and misleading claims about the environmental benefits of a product or service.
The ASCI is a self-regulatory body that monitors advertising and has set up guidelines for green advertising. These guidelines state that green advertising should be truthful, accurate, and not exaggerated.
