Greenwashing: What Construction Needs to Avoid
Date Posted: January 11, 2024
Posted In: Discussion,
From Bluebeam Blog: Greenwashing—the act of claiming environmental credentials for a product or project that are unjustified or outright untrue—has no place in the construction sector. Creating sustainable developments through investment in people, materials and delivery practices is the way forward.
Open the pages of any publication or read any website that covers the construction industry, and you’ll find companies boasting massive sustainability credentials.
Given the environmental impact that can result from delivering and operating buildings, it makes perfect sense for a construction firm to highlight the fact that it’s putting up structures sustainably.
After all, the building’s occupants want to know it has the least possible effect on the world around it, and along with claims from developers to this effect, sustainability accreditation programs have been created to illustrate a building’s green credentials.
But the claims of businesses across a variety of sectors are coming under scrutiny, with some accused of “greenwashing,” where an environmental claim falls short of reality.
How can construction companies avoid making declarations about the sustainability of their projects that ultimately don’t stack up?
What is corporate greenwashing?
The term “greenwashing” was first coined in the mid-1980s by environmentalist Jay Westerveld, who took issue with the oft-used practice of hotels urging their guests to “save a towel” to help the environment, while wasting resources elsewhere.
According to the Competition and Markets Authority’s coordinated global review of around 500 randomly selected websites, around 40% of green claims made online could be misleading consumers.