Last year, the word “greenwash” appeared in the Merriam-Webster dictionary for the first time. This might create the impression that it’s a new term – it isn’t. The idea was defined in the Concise Oxford Dictionary in 1999. But even then editors were behind the curve. The first record can be found in a 1986 essay by environmentalist Jay Westerveld, who was irked at how some businesses in the hotel industry were marketing their re-use of towels as a great sustainability initiative, when in reality it was a cost-saving exercise. He called them out. Greenwashing was born.
Today, thousands more have followed Westerveld in drawing attention to companies, governments or individuals who allegedly mislaead the public by parading their “green” credentials while, for the most part, continuing with the status quo.
