Have you been Greenwashed?!
With the current political and social climate being very focused on protecting the environment, there is an increasing amount of pressure being put on companies to improve their environmental awareness, and rightly so. However, with this pressure has come a new wave sweeping through the commercial world; that of "Greenwashing".
According to the online encyclopaedia, Wikipedia, Greenwashing is "a term that is used to describe the actions of a company, government, or other organisation which advertises positive environmental practices while acting in the opposite way. The term is generally used when significantly more money or time has been spent advertising being green rather than spending resources on environmentally sound practices."
You may have noticed many companies around you shift their marketing focus to promote their "greeness"; changing brand names, logo design or colour, or simply shouting about how environmentally friendly they are in press articles or marketing material.
At Mangar International we strongly oppose the misleading greenwashing that we see around us. Being based in the heart of rural Wales protecting the environment is an issue always in the forefront of our minds, however we like to have real substance behind our green claims.
Proof of our committment to increasing the environmental awareness of our company can be seen throughout our operations. Simple things like separating rubbish for recycling, switching computers, monitors and lights off whenever possible, saving scrap paper and printing double-sided are all commonplace, and our team of Environmental Champions are always on-hand to advise and regulate.
However, we don't stop there. We ensure that wherever possible all elements of all products are suitable for recycling.
Take our Archimedes bathlift for example;
- The plastic components can be ground down and remoulded to make new plastic products.
- The batteries are reprocessed by a certified company and the metals recovered.
- The rubber of the suction cups and transit tie can be ground and reused in low-grade rubber items such as shoe soles and car mats.
- The aluminium can be melted down and reused in all sorts of different aluminium-based items - drinks cans, cars, even planes!
In addition we are making changes to our design processes to ensure that all plastics are marked with plastic identification symbols as endorsed by the British Plastics Federation to help identify plastics when recycling.
Here in the Marketing Department we are now shifting to have all printed materials produced on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper. The FSC is an international, non-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting responsible management of the World's forests.
Many companies settle on using recycled paper, however sometimes the bleach and chemicals required to make used paper fit for re-use have a greater impact on the environment than using virgin paper. This is a good example of Greenwashing; using recycled paper may not be the best option for the environment however its use scores points with consumers so that is what companies will promote. By using FSC certified paper we can be sure that the paper comes from a source that not only takes the environment into consideration, but also the wildlife and people concerned.
Of course to make a real contribution to protecting the environment the best option is to reduce the amount of materials needed in the first place, and for that reason we now offer all our leaflets, newsletters and quotes in electronic format to be emailed. By cutting down our usage of print materials to a bare minimum we can have the best impact possible.
It's not just our Marketing and Research and Development departments that are making changes. Here are a few steps made by other departments to improve the company's overall environmental impact:
- All departments only print documents when absolutely necessary, and then they always ensure they print double-sided.
- All scrap paper is conserved and re-used.
- Packaging materials, such as polystyrene chips, received by us are reused by our Production Department to package spare parts.
- Wherever possible product packaging is homogenised (only one material used) to aid recycling.
- Electrical parts are passed to B2B Compliance for recycling in accordance with WEEE regulations.
- Research is underway into the possibility of using only phthalate-free ink in our leaflets to avoid the toxins associated with phthalate chemicals.
- Following staff recommendation we have installed two large water butts to provide water for the plants at Head Office.
As you can see we are making real and significant changes throughout the company to reduce the negative impact our operation has on the environment. Now you know some of the steps we have taken, why not question others on what they are doing - it's time people starting demonstrating real action to back up their 'green' claims.