Greenwashing: Half Of Americans Pretend That They Are Eco-Friendly

53% of Americans pretend that they are eco-friendly citizens or exaggerated their environmentally sustainable practices to impress others or to fit in, according to this random double opt-in survey commissioned by Avocado Green Mattress and conducted by OnePoll involving 2,000 general population Americans. 

If you are not sure what greenwashing is, it is a term used to describe when someone pretends that they are more environmentally friendly/sustainable around others. This study reveals that people tend to do this to avoid pressure from the “woke” society (20%) or not wanting to be judged by others(19%). Regardless of the reason, half of the respondents reported that they are guilty of greenwashing with 54% of the respondents reporting that they are less likely to practice eco-friendly habits when nobody can see them. 

Caring for the planet and wanting to protect the planet for future generations were among the tops reasons for wanting to live sustainably, which was followed by feeling “like the right thing to do”, eco-sustainable actions making them “feel good”, wanting to be “positive role models”, and having loved ones encouraging them to be sustainable. 37% of all respondents appear to think that actions speak louder than words, agreeing that the motivations for doing so don’t matter as long as the person is actually acting on being eco-friendly. 

“We only have one Earth, and future generations will judge us by the state in which we leave the planet,” says Avocado Green Senior Vice President of Brand Marketing and Sustainability, Jessica Hann, in a statement. “When it comes to sustainability, it matters less what people think, and more that we all just do the best we can.”

45% of all respondents report also being influenced by marketing to be more eco-friendly, admitting to purchasing an item solely because it was marketed as being sustainable. Only 27% of the respondents report that they are “very confident” that they are able to tell when a company is genuinely sustainable versus when companies are trying to be more environmentally sustainable/friendly than they really are. 

42% of the respondents admit to purchasing an item to later find out that the company/item was not as sustainable as it appeared to be. Even after realizing the error 70% still said that regardless of the truth they felt better about purchasing something that claimed to be environmentally sustainable, even if it wasn’t. To that effect, 79% of the respondents believe that it is important to shop at eco-friendly companies and 78% agree that more companies should be committed to adopting practices that help/protect the planet. 

“Businesses know that customers prefer ‘green’ brands,” says Hann. “But it can be difficult to distinguish what’s ‘green’ from what’s greenwashing. We let our independent, third-party certifications validate that we’re operating at the highest standards of social and environmental responsibility.”