greenwashing

[green-wosh-ing, -waw-shing]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

an instance or practice of promoting or affiliating a brand, campaign, mission, etc., with environmentalism as a ploy to divert attention from policies and activities that are in fact antienvironmentalist.
Car manufacturers have gone all-in on this greenwashing of fuel efficiency standards.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of greenwashing¹

First recorded in 1985–90; greenwash ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. )

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

“It’s a bit of greenwashing,” she said, referring to the practice of misleading the public about environmental efforts.

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Done purely for marketing, it has been criticized by environmentalists as a greenwashing tactic.

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Though the agency only pursues a few greenwashing cases a year, its guides — which are guidelines instead of laws — are the only national benchmark for evaluating recycling claims.

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Were there a greenwashing hall of fame, this would be in it.

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“The specter of greenwashing that we’re all worried about, at a system level, is not a huge concern today,” he said.

From

greenwash greenway

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