Whether you love it or hate it, The Onion holds up a mirror to our culture and gives us a good reason to laugh. Last week their article on eco-friendly cigarettes announced, “Executives at Philip Morris USA this week unveiled Marlboro Earth, a new eco-friendly cigarette that gradually eliminates the causes of global warming and environmental destruction at their source.” — by killing off the human race. This article reminded me of the constant barrage of greenwashing broadcast every time I flip on the TV or turn on the radio. Whether it’s Chevron claiming to harness “human energy” or a product being repackaged as eco-friendly, suddenly every product is good for the environment! Funny how that works.
But what if your company really does want to lessen its impact on the environment—and let consumers know you care? How do you set yourself apart from the scammers? A good place to start is the University of Oregon’s Greenwashing Index. People submit examples of truly eco-friendly products and examples of greenwashing. Browsing the index is a fun way to see what sustainable-savvy consumers think about green marketing campaigns.
Luckily, we live in Oregon, which can now be found in the Urban Dictionary as Oregonic—organically grown in Oregon. “Made in Oregon” has a new meaning, and its one companies could use to market new lines of organic products nationally. Because it’s better to sound truly Oregonic than sound like you’re peddling Marlboro Earth.
—Jenny Furniss (@jennyfurniss)
This reminds me of something I saw when I was in college, between 1999 and 2002 or so. I don't remember which company it was but to compete with American Spirits one of the major cigarette companies released "planet" brand cigarettes. They were in a recycled-looking package, with a planet on the front and allegedly were made from "natural" tobaccos (as opposed to unnatural).
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