The Dangers of “Greenwashing”

The dangers of inaccurately stated Net Zero goals was on display this week when New York’s Attorney General filed suit against JBL USA for “greenwashing” or intentionally misleading customers about its (GHG) greenhouse gas emission goals. At issue is JBL USA’s statement of achieving Net Zero by 2040. The problem is JBL USA has never published their GHG emissions and was warned last year by the National Advertising Review Board to refrain from making Net Zero pledges in their advertising.

The lesson Fortune 500 companies can learn from JBL USA’s circumstances is that public proclamations should match internal initiatives. When marketing departments get too far ahead of reality, nothing good follows. Net Zero commitments are noble, but they do not have to outpace internal initiatives. Blue Ocean Brokerage assists Fortune 500 enterprises by deploying technology at scale to meet Net Zero initiatives. Inconsistencies like JBL USA’s circumstances are 100% avoidable. Our software solution partners can easily assess and report GHG emissions to establish a baseline while partnering throughout your Net Zero journey to show reduction progress as we deploy each new technology.

Do not allow overstatements to harm public trust in your company’s Net Zero journey. Blue Ocean Brokerage will assist you every step of the way.