New Year's Thoughts on Greenwashing

From an editorial in the Outdoor Retailer pre-show issue (mailed Dec. 18):

A year ago, I thought that by January 2008, a rah-rah piece about the importance of shifting to sustainable business practices would be passé. I was certain that every company in the progressive, eco-sensitive, hyper-aware outdoor industry would be so far ahead of the curve that the whole concept would be old news.

That’s not the case. There are still oodles of opportunities in the outdoor world for a brand to gain a concrete marketplace advantage by greening their brand, their products and their practices. That’s not my opinion as a business consultant for outdoor brands, it’s my opinion as a consumer of them.

Why has so little changed?
...
Greenwashing, the vogue term for environmental hypocrisy, is a divisive label that goes beyond a call for truth in advertising with the zeal of a mob. Light beer still makes you fat, extra strength medicine still leaves you coughing, but a greenwasher is tarred and feathered and escorted to the edge of town.

Click for full article...
Via Pale Morning Media's Wicked Outdoorsy blog.

What issue mattered most to you in 2007? What changes do you hope 2008 will bring?

Happy New Year everybody!