ETHICS ASSIGNMENT- GREENWASHING

SUBMITTED BY:
Himanshu Manwani- 29
Shreya Kak- 43

Companies that claim to be green and are so:

1. Company name: Body shop

Claim:

Claims to have their product bottles recycled by collaborating with local waste pickers who help in
recycling plastic waste.

Demonstration:

As the brand says, it’s no secret that plastic pollution has become a global crisis and the planet is
drowning in plastic. It not only affects us humans but also affects the marine life, animals and plants
too.

In India, almost 1/3 of the total waste is uncollected. This has given rise to a million and a half people
to be called as 'Waste pickers' who collect this waste in the informal sector. In Bengaluru, we’re
working with an organisation who proudly call themselves the ‘Green Force’.

‘Waste pickers’, however, are most formally the lowest social group in India’s caste system. This
means that they are vulnerable to discrimination and poor working conditions already.

That’s why the brand wants to do more than fighting pollution. They want to drive social change and
help to empower people too.
Analysis and reasons for inclusion:

Body shop has been doing many events to raise awareness about plastic waste and how they're
doing their best in fighting with this problem.

One of their events held in Mumbai can be an example to this.

The #RideForChange event

As mentioned, body Shop is doing great work with local waste-pickers community to solve plastic
pollution. As a part of this thoughtful initiative, LBB and The Body Shop hosted a bike trip with a
group of awesome women. Determination to show the brand our support by taking the brand
bottles from their Indiranagar center and ride all the way to their aggregation centre. The process of
how these bottles are recycled and further used had been shown by the brand and created
awareness on various social media platforms, collaborating with an advertising agency called LBB
Mumbai and hence proved how they've been a game changer in fighting this problem.
Link to the video

https://youtu.be/bD_aMArtB3o

2. Company name : Body cafe

Claim:

The founders claim that all Body Cafe products are 100% natural and organic, free from parabens,
synthetic fragrances, artificial colours, mineral oils and paraffin, and are “made from handpicked
ingredients”.
Demonstration:

The brand says, from the moment we wake up till we’re back in our bed again, we are stuck in an
endless battle of us versus stress. It’s only a matter of time when it all boils over. Amidst this manic
hustle-bustle of life, people want a healthy lifestyle and all they need is a little support to help them
start investing in themselves. Using natural products helps in holistic development.

Adhering to environmentally friendly manufacturing practice, the brand is absolutely against animal
testing. They travel to remote, undiscovered places in and around India in search of ingredients.
They frequently procure materials from Kerala, Coorg, and Assam. We source chocolate essential oils
from Belgium, shea from Africa region, clay from a remote village in France

Analysis and reasons for inclusion:

BodyCafé is an organic lifestyle wellness brand that is based on authentic and traditional beauty
practices. They take inspiration from ancient home remedies called as (gharelu nuskhe), the
goodness of nature (prakriti), and Ayurveda which is considered to be the most organic of all. Their
products are categorised under Grooming, Wellness, Babycare, Homecare and Petcare. These
products are further classified under Lifestyle range for everyday use, and Spa & Luxury range to
help you treat yourself to a revitalising spa experience and are completely made of organic
ingredients.

Their youtube ad shows how they have been trying to be as environmentally friendly as they can.

https://youtu.be/wdOG-hn1Wwo
 3. Company name : MKV Enterprise

Claim:

The brand sells 100% Natural Products all over world for their customers which include products like
Areca Plates, Bagasse plates, Earthenware, Bamboo products, Fibre products, and Organic products.

Demonstration:

Products that do not harm the environment whether in their production, use or disposal,the brand
communicates that the products help preserve the environment by significantly reducing the
pollution they could produce. Use of eco-friendly, all natural products ensure safety from all
dangerous chemicals, and allows families to avoid risky additives that can cause any of these issues.
Using eco-friendly products improves the quality of life in terms of mortality, age, diseases, and
illnesses. They ensure the safety of families and the planet as a whole. MKV aims to cater to such
brands in a complete eco friendly manner and hence playing a major role in helping the planet as a
whole.

Using reusable or recyclable shipping and packaging products, eliminating all unnecessary paper and
plastic packaging material, and making efficient use of space are the key strategies made by the
brand for creating environmentally friendly packaging.

Analysis and reasons for inclusion

The brand also focuses on organic food that is grown without the use of synthetic chemicals, such as
human-made pesticides and fertilizers, and does not contain genetically modified organisms
(GMOs). Their organic foods include fresh produce, meats, and dairy products as well as processed
foods such as crackers, drinks, and frozen meals. The food is produced by methods that comply with
the standards of organic farming. Organic farming features practices that cycle resources, promote
ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity.

It is healthy, their research continues to show that essential vitamins and minerals are higher in
many organic foods. On average, organic food contains increased levels of many key nutrients which
are essential for human health.

4. Company name: Green village cafe

Claim:

Providing delicious, healthy food made fresh with organic ingredients and usage of eco friendly
packaging for their delivery/ take away.

Demonstration:

Promoting healthy eating and lifestyle. Every dish is prepared using organic and fresh ingredients.
They don't use maida {multipurpose flour}, sugar, and other preservatives and the ingredients are
sourced directly from farmers which makes the food more delicious and healthy. The concept of
healthy and delicious food make this cafe special for foodies who are also health conscious. The few
touches of green here and there in the cafe show how they support green and organic farming. The
owner Mamta Wadhwani is so lovely and passionate about healthy food and she says that the main
motive of this cafe is to support farmers.

Analysis and reasons for inclusion:

Organic ingredients are in focus at this very beautiful restaurant, they don't use sugar in juices
instead they put honey which is also 100% organic. Kraft paper packing is eco friendly food
packaging used internationally in the industry, but now a trend in india too. Also known as butcher
paper or brown paper, it derives its name from the German word Kraft, which means resistance,
strength and effectiveness. Kraft paper is made of wood pulp. It’s coarse and brown in colour. Since
the materials used to make these bags are mostly plant-based, they are very friendly to the
environment.The cafe plans on being completely green with their organic food options and eco
friendly packaging that gives them an edge over their competitors. The cafe posts various such
messages and articles on their social media in order to keep the audience updated and interested

@greenvillagecafe is their instagram page with most of the details posted here.

Companies that claim to be green but aren’t in reality:

1. Company name: Mea Ame’s Organic Smokes

Claim:

The company claims to have worked with Ayurveda doctors to create their cigarettes, which involve
herbal smoke. The co-founder of the company, Gaurav Chhabra claims that their Organic Smokes
helps discourage smokers off cigarettes and also helps cure cough and cold, without any side effects.

Demonstration:
The organic cigarette are packed in a rustic looking wooden box, calling itself a “safer” way of
smoking. They show on the packaging that the cigarettes are made of organic ingredients like holy
basil, camellia sinensis, rose petals and mint leaves that are organically procured from the hills of
Himalayas proportionally mixed and rolled into virgin paper tipped with a cotton filter. Each
cigarette has a tar out filter so as to make smoking a healthy experience and also for therapy smoke
which helps to relieve stress, reduce jet lag, uplift mood and relive cold & tobacco cessation. The
packaging says “Don’t panic, smoke organic”.

Analysis and reasons for inclusion:

While the company claims that it’s the first smoke to make living better, and is nicotine-free and
hence harmless, the doctors working in the field of cancer and respiratory diseases do not agree.
According to Dr. Sundeep Salvi, Director of the Chest Research Foundation, Pune, “The reason
people smoke is for the nicotine hit. But you must remember that it is the thousand other
chemicals that go along with nicotine that cause harm. Even if these cigarettes don’t contain
tobacco, any organic matter (carbon compounds) when smoked, releases black tar, which is very
harmful for the lungs”. Studies also found that the smoke released from these cigarettes
contains carcinogens equivalent to or in excess of those of tobacco products. Herbal cigarettes
contain significant amounts of carbon monoxide, and ultra-fine particulate matter. While herbal
cigarettes come with tar filters, Dr Salvi believes this only keeps 30% of it away. Similar to e-
cigarettes, herbal cigarettes too are aimed at the youth, to be used as a form of tobacco
cessation, however, rather than helping people stay away from cigarettes, they’ll only induce
them to try an actual one later on in life

2. Company name: Tresemme Naturals (by Unilever)

Claim:

The company claims that the TRESemme Naturals collection has low sulfate shampoos, silicone-free
conditioning and naturally derived polymers that leave hair healthier, shinier, stronger and looking
naturally gorgeous.
Demonstration:

According to the company, the formulas for the products of this range include a blend of nature's
purest elements such as organic coconut oil, sweet orange, aloe vera and avocado extracts leaving
one’s hair 10 times stronger after a single use.

In their pitch, they say that their shampoo and conditioner calm frizz and smoothen the hair.

Formulated with organic coconut oil and jojoba extract, they are said to control unwanted frizz
leaving hair feeling noticeably soft and silky.

Analysis and reasons for inclusion:

When a trusted brand like TRESemme comes up with a range called Naturals, people don’t really
think twice. But they definitely should look at the label closely. While they mention having
“Naturally-derived polymers” the company has to uses chemical modification of naturally occurring
polymers and when chemicals come in the picture, the product is no longer natural. They might
include some natural oils and extracts but the umpteen number of chemicals in the products still
remain.

Below are the ingredients of the said shampoo:

WATER, AMMONIUM LAURETH SULFATE, AMMONIUM LAURYL SULFATE, COCAMIDOPROPYL,

BETAINE, SODIUM COCOYL ISETHONAATE, LAURYL GLUCOSIDE, SODIUMLAUROAMPHOACETATE,
SODIUMMMETHYL COCOYL TAURATE, AMMONIUM CHLORIDE, FRAGRANCE (PARFUM),
HYDROXYPROPYL METHYCELLULOSE, PROPYGLYCOL, SODIUMXYLENESULFONATE, GUAR
HYDROXYPROPYLTRIMONIUM CLORIDE, DIPROPYLENE GYLCOL, CITRIC ACIDE, DMDM HYDANTOIN,
COCOS NUCIFERA (COCONUT) OIL, QUATERNIUM-80, BISAMINO PEG/PPG-41/3 AMINOETHYL PG-
PROPYL DIMETHICONE, DISODIUM EDTA, ETHYL ALCOHOL, SIMMONDSIE CHINESIS (JOJOBA) LEAF
EXTRACT. PER-18GLYCERYLOLEATE/COCOATE, POLYQUATERNIUM-7

The bunch of chemicals in the shampoo doesn’t make it natural at all. The natural oils and extracts
added are just for the jazz. The formula would work perfectly fine without them. Added fragrance
too isn't natural at all.

The conditioner has a shorter list of ingredients but the problem remains the same. There are a
horde of synthetic compounds most customers will be unable to identify and then two-three natural
elements added at the end. A number of consumers also shared their review that they saw no
improvement in their hair after using this range.

Ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBCf9R28JrM&feature=emb_logo

3. Company name: Herbal Essence

Claim:
Herbal essence claims that their product is truly organic and is a good choice for your hair
and environment. The claim their products are “all natural.” The shampoo is said to be
colour safe and that it nurtures and repairs hair.

Below are the claims of some their products:

 Crafted with bio: renew, a signature blend of essential antioxidants, aloe and sea
kelp
 Herbal Essences with bio: renew brings your hair back to life in just 21 days

Demonstration:
Herbal Essences describes itself as the ‘first natural hair care brand’; defining natural as ‘an
ingredient that occurs in nature and has undergone limited chemical or other processing
which modifies it from its natural state’. The company also advertises their bottles as “made
from recycled material” when, in reality, only 25% of the bottle is made from recycled
plastic. The rest is made from new plastic that takes up an unnecessary amount of energy
and releases toxins that contribute to global warming during production. The bottles are also
coloured with dyes, so it lowers the probability of it getting recycled.
Analysis and reasons for inclusion:
Many researchers came to the conclusion that these claims are false. There are many
unnatural chemicals in the shampoo and conditioner, such as Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and
Propylene Glycol. There are also known carcinogens in the products that are not found on
the ingredients that are labelled on the back of the products. Certain chemicals react when
in the bottle and form a new compound after being mixed together, forming
carcinogens. People often experience side effects from these unnatural products. Health
concerns that are related to the chemicals can include skin irritation (the most common),
cancer, and organ toxicity. It’s hard to really say whether the bio:renew blend is actually
beneficial because there is absolutely no literature on it, nor studies that Herbal Essences
seems to reference. It is a bold claim that throwing a few natural products together can
really benefit your hair… when you’re just stripping it away with SLS + SLES at the same time.
Out of twenty-two ingredients in their Shampoo, only four are green that are:

 Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil

 Histidine
 Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (Aloe)
 Ecklonia Radiata Extract
4. Company name: Coca Cola

Claim:
The company claims to adhere to the "highest ethical standards" and to be "an outstanding
corporate citizen in every community we serve".

Demonstration:
Coca Cola showed its support for sustainable development and growth of citizens by
concentrating on issues relating to water, sanitation, environment protection and healthy
living. Being the largest beverage manufacturer in the world and using water as its main
ingredient, it becomes the company’s responsibility to use water efficiently. In 2010, it
launched the 5by20 initiative where it claimed to empower 5 million women entrepreneurs
across six industries by 2020. Another one of their claims was to provide improved access to
clean water and recharging groundwater through rainwater harvesting in Rajasthan and
North of India. Coca-Cola India foundation claims that they set up 130 water replenishment
structures and 700,000+ lives changed in more than 550 villages. They said that their aim is
to replenish 148% of the total water used and claim to recycle 100% of the waste water after
treatment. They either reuse it or return to nature at balanced pH level that supports
aquatic life and is not harmful to them.
Analysis and reasons for inclusion:
In the year 1999, Coca cola India established a bottling plant in Kaladera, Rajasthan.
Rajasthan relies mostly on groundwater for irrigation purposes as it is a desert state having
semi-arid climatic conditions. The arrival of Coca-Cola brought with it a serious decline in
water levels. The water levels in the state dropped by almost 10 metres in the five years
following this. Kaladera started to be called the dark zone because farmers abandoned the
area due to depleted water resources. In Plachinamada, Kerala, the Coca-Cola plant was
forced to shut down since the license wasn’t renewed by the Kerala High court and it ruled
that extraction of the groundwater was illegal. The people living near the plants experienced
severe water shortage. Farmers in Varanasi too complained that over usage by the company
took a toll on their farming activities and therefore dried up the nearby wells. In Rajasthan
and Kerala, villagers have protested for the same reasons. Hence, despite its claims of
sustainable development, it failed to deliver and in fact worsened the situation.