As we are increasingly told to recycle, reuse and review the way we are living to meet the needs of the environment, the topic of 'Being Green' is seemingly becoming a trendy bandwagon many company's are jumping on the back of.
With re-useable bags cropping up in Harrods to Primark it begs the question, what are these company's motives for doing so? CSR has long been a tool to promote the caring, sharing side of a company and with a nice little tin of green paint it seems that many of us are fooled into believing that the company we are buying from aren't just thinking about their wallets.
Is this a bad thing? Should company's green credentials run deeper than a token bag gesture? The green phenomenon has well and truly taken off over the last few years but is the message really getting across to consumers? On the release of designer Anya Hindmarch's 'I'm not a Plastic Bag' hundreds queued up to get their hands on one - was it their worries over the environment or because that's what PR's were telling them was now fashionable?
Of course 'making green the new black' can be seen as positive, consumers who normally would not take notice of such issues are being surrounded by it, but is this enough for change? Is this just another social trend and when the next big thing comes along is green going to be hung back up and labelled so last season?
Nowadays companies feel like they HAVE to appear to be doing the right thing- like going green, otherwise it affects their brand image. Everyone is jumping on the green bandwagon because no one wants to be left behind. Otherwise consumers will start questioning why they haven't 'gone green' or at least appear to be-like everyone else is. It is more of a commercial motive to appear 'green' than it is an ethical one- in my opinion. Which is why companies aren't getting stuck in wholeheartedly. They are waiting for someone to make the next move, forcing them to do the same. However, I don't agree with this attitude...
ReplyDeleteI agree that to some extent, being green is a trend, which means that it is not necessarily here for the long term. However, whilst it is, shouldn't we be thankful for it it despite the motivations of the companies who are adopting it? Most companies are out to make money. Fact. Any attempts to persuade these companies to consider the environment (besides rules and regs made by the government) will often only be considered by them on a reputational basis. The fact that journalists, activists, NGOs, etc are holding these companies to account can only be a good thing. You can't change the motivations of an organisation but you can change its actions.
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