Recently, our CEO was shown the website of a lighting contractor that had purchased one of those vanity awards (where you pay money and they give you a fictitious title). In this case, the company had purchased a sustainability award and was proudly displaying it on their website.
It is only a matter of time before that lighting contractor is exposed for greenwashing. When it happens, the negative impact on their brand will be significant.
An ironic part of this is that, in their desire to capitalize on consumer demand for companies that are sustainable, they actually paid about as much for the fictitious award as they would have paid for a legitimate certification.
If you think all this talk about risk is overstated, ask the airlines. Per this article, there are greenwashing lawsuits against airlines on three continents – North America, Europe and Australia.
The electrical contractor and the airlines knew what you know – there is money to be made by saying you are sustainable.
Should you wish to do it the right way, watch this master class and contact us.