Due to social media and dynamism, people must be aware of every moment they live in today. Individuals are constantly in search of new one. They strive to make every day, hour, and even minute meaningful. If the activity that fills their moments does not make them feel significant enough, they replace them with another.
Today, people are always on the alert, always pursuing more and putting themselves in a constant state of stress. They feel that it will cost them dearly to miss the update and not to be a part of the flow of life that continues to increase with more and more content. When it comes to a missed opportunity, a satisfaction that cannot be experienced, a success that cannot be realized, and a moment with no meaning, the individual sees it as his fault. In the face of the flow of life, the individual is left alone by the actors he invented to make life easier. People take on the heavy responsibility of living alone. While this is the case, while people have been left so alone in the face of life and have such heavy responsibilities towards life, some for-profit organizations have found a way to take advantage of this situation and increase their profits in greenwashing.
It is struggling with endless wars, terrorism, abuses of data science, ongoing and permanent surveillance; mass forced migrations, and the climate crisis. In the face of such significant challenges, people are often left alone and expected to deal with problems independently. Greenwashing is implemented by companies trying to take advantage of this situation. By exploiting the climate crisis, people are taking advantage of this fearful state. Today, the ecological balance, the source of vitality, has been destroyed and replaced with projects based on profit maximization with the idea of being rich.
Projects that cause carbon gas emissions that harm nature is increasing, not decreasing. Societies have set aside their agreed-upon goal of keeping the world temperature at 1.5 °C, with the devastation caused by the climate crisis. The world is heading toward the brink of the abyss. As a result, the world reacts to this situation, forest fires become widespread and intensify, floods and floods become more destructive and unpredictable, and hurricanes and storms increase their strength.
In the face of the destruction caused by the climate crisis, with all these natural disasters and the added drought and thirst, the geographies where people live intensely have become unlivable. In the face of such a critical threat, societies naturally look for ways out of fear. From the food he consumes to the clothes he uses, from the mode of transportation to the need for shelter, he tries to prevent the destruction caused by climate trauma in every daily practice. There has been a tendency towards products and methods that result from a responsible production and consumption chain that respects nature and has low carbon emissions. The orientation aims to feel accountable by being aware of the disasters that social issues will create. With greenwashing, companies are trying to influence the consumption practices of the individual with unrealistic and exaggerated claims and try to increase the profit rate by manipulating it. For example, Some automotive companies have claimed that the car engines they produce have low carbon emissions thanks to their high fuel efficiency. Likewise, some fashion giants have argued that the materials used for their clothes are environmentally friendly. Fashion companies claimed to be eco-friendly and marketed this as a new trend. They tabloidized greenwashing through fashion shows. Relevant fashion companies and automotive companies were researched by public authorities, which prioritized increasing the level of welfare, and it was revealed that they were far from the truth. As a result, the companies involved were punished with significant sanctions. At the heart of the fashion industry, these companies, which have reached gigantic proportions, have come face to face that an approach advocating increasing consumption cannot be environmentally friendly after the penalties they receive. Companies try to appear responsible by doing projects protecting the afforestation and ecological balance. While preserving nature with environmentalist actions should be considered, maximizing the profit rate has been made a priority. They are trying to legitimize production and consumption processes with green projects by brands with high carbon emissions. Although profit-oriented, many brands shield the carbon emissions of their production and consumption chains by supporting afforestation projects. Companies that are part of the responsible production and consumption network are trying to prevent the disasters that will be created by climate destruction. However, these companies, which are in the minority, cannot receive support. At this point, sincerity, transparency, and suitability come into play.
As a result, greenwashing has become an instrument used by profit-oriented companies to maximize their profits, increase their competitiveness and gain a dominant position in the market. People who fear the consequences of climate change are being manipulated. It is seen that the masses with good intentions and a desire for change are used for the sake of the interests of the companies. The destruction caused by the climate crisis is increasing day by day. With the magnitude of the problem in social awareness, awareness is developing and improving. However, social consciousness still has yet to reach the desired places. Individuals have begun to turn to actions that they can do individually. They try to make their daily practices as nature-friendly as possible. With greenwashing as a marketing tool, people's desire for change is utilized. The welfare of people should be considered by taking micro-scale actions to macro-scale. Public authorities should heavily monitor such attempts and announce and punish untrue acts on this issue. It is vital to raise awareness of both individuals and greenwash and re-evaluate their daily practices around this awareness.
Author:
Furkan Ünal
Source:
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