SKIMS, Coca-Cola, Unilever and IKEA have been accused of “greenwashing” by an environmental campaign group, falsely advertising being environmentally friendly.
The Changing Markets Foundation (CMF) claimed the firms’ products, initiatives and advertising obscure the real impact of plastic from consumers.
Coca-Cola has spent millions in advertising telling consumers that some of its bottles are made out of 25 percent marine plastic while failing to mention that it is the world’s biggest plastic polluter, the CMF alleged. Per the Independent, a Coca-Cola spokesperson said, “We don’t want to see any of our packaging end up where it shouldn’t and we are working hard to be part of the solution. Today, all of our bottles in Great Britain are 100% recyclable and we aim to collect and recycle a bottle or can for every one we sell by 2030 globally.”
George Harding-Rolls, campaign manager at CMF, said, “Our latest investigation exposes a litany of misleading and mendacious claims from household names consumers should be able to trust. This is just the tip of the iceberg and it is of crucial importance that regulators take this issue seriously. The industry is happy to gloat its green credentials with little substance on the one hand while continuing to perpetuate the plastic crisis on the other.”
He added, “We are calling out greenwashing so the world can see that voluntary action has led to a market saturated with false claims. We must embrace systemic solutions, such as absolute reductions in plastic packaging and mandatory deposit return systems.”
@ChangingMarkets new report that exposes “a litany of misleading claims from household names” including @CocaCola @Tesco & even @KimKardashian – we can’t greenwash our way out of the plastic crisis. We need to reduce and then mainstream reuse & refill 🙌https://t.co/yCMK9GhaLu
— City to Sea (@CitytoSea_) June 30, 2022
Other companies accused of greenwashing include IKEA and Kim Kardashian’s shapewear and clothing brand, SKIMS. SKIMS has compostable underwear packaging claiming “I AM NOT PLASTIC” despite the small print stating it is plastic-type 4 or LDPE (Low-Density Polyethylene).
Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS accused of ‘greenwashing’ packaging https://t.co/khd1mC6gH6
— Changing Markets Foundation (@ChangingMarkets) June 30, 2022
Check out our new website, where we expose how brands #greenwash their #plasticpackaging
