We have often talked about Greenwashing and how harmful it can be. Just as we talked about the Greenhushing, or the lack of communication of sustainability activities, precisely for fear of incurring accusations of greenwashing.
In this content, however, we talk about Greenwishing. What does it mean exactly? Does it pose the same risks as greenwashing? Let's find out.
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What is greenwishing?
While the Greenwashing is the act of presenting yourself as “greener” than you really are, the Greenwishing consists in wanting to be sustainable, but without real tools or concrete strategies to achieve this goal.
Many companies start a sustainability journey with the best intentions, setting ambitious goals, such as achieving carbon neutrality within a certain year, or the exclusive use of renewable energy.
These objectives, however, often turn out to be unfeasible, especially if there are no detailed plans on how to reach them. This is where the Greenwishing come into play: enthusiasm for a sustainable future is not accompanied by concrete and measurable actions.
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The problem of greenwishing
The Greenwishing may seem harmless: after all, what's wrong with wanting to reduce your environmental impact?
The problem is that it can lead to disappointment not only for the company itself, but also for customers, staff and investors. A company that fails to meet its sustainability promises risks losing market confidence and say jeopardize your reputation.
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Greenwishing vs greenwashing: what's the difference?
Although Greenwishing and Greenwashing are distinct concepts, they have some similarities: both can cause confusion and lack of transparency.
However, while the Greenwashing consists of a deception (more or less conscious), the Greenwishing derives more from an excessive naivety. In other words, greenwashing is a real deception, while Greenwishing it's more like a an unrealizable dream.
How did greenwishing come about?
The causes that lead to the phenomenon of Greenwishing are essentially 2:
- one real desire for sustainability and a lower environmental impact of the company, accompanied however by an excessive naivety, which leads to underestimating the effort and difficulty of achieving objectives that are too ambitious, without an adequate strategy;
- the fright than sustainability regulations increasingly stringent and growing market pressures, which lead companies to make hasty promises, without a plan to respect them.
The importance of realistic sustainability goals
For avoid greenwishing, companies must set realistic goals and develop clear and feasible plans. If a company declares that it wants to achieve net zero emissions by 2030, it must also determine what concrete steps will be necessary to get there.
This means investing in technologies, optimizing production processes and, above all, being transparent about progress (or lack of progress).
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How to recognize greenwishing?
Recognizing greenwishing is essential for all parties involved, both for companies and for consumers. Let's see 3 warning signs.
- Vague objectives: companies talk about sustainability without providing concrete details.
- Promises without deadlines: objectives set without a clear schedule.
- Blind trust in future technologies: bet exclusively on technological innovations that are not yet available.
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How to combat greenwishing?
To avoid falling into greenwishing, companies should:
- set measurable and verifiable objectives;
- implement short, medium and long-term sustainability strategies;
- be transparent about progress and failures;
- collaborate with experienced figures in the sector to ensure that the actions taken are truly effective.
Finally, it is important to remember that the sustainability It's a continuous process. There is no magic solution or definitive point of arrival. Every company, large or small, must recognize that commitment to the environment requires time, resources and, above all, transparency. The Greenwishing can be avoided with a strategic and realistic approach, capable of transforming the initial vision into a concrete reality.
