Public relations based on trust and respect currently represent one of the core components of building a noticeable presence in the global economy and becoming a reputable organization. However, overzealous efforts to establish an organization as a green and highly ethical company without putting enough effort into actual implementation of green policies will inevitably result in being labelled as a firm engaging in greenwashing 90. Therefore, the observed trend raises the question of whether PR in the modern context can be described as the act of greenwashing. Although there is an obvious element of self-promotion and an attempt at meeting high ethical standards that might not be attainable for some companies that ascribe to the specified ideas, companies accepting and following green policies should make their choices public. Thus, they will normalize the concept of green economy and encourage others to follow suit.
Admittedly, greenwashing as a conscious effort to deceive the public into believing that a company aligns with sustainable policies when it, in fact, does not, is highly unethical. Arguably, the specified form of deception can be considered an instance of colonization since these are ultimately the vulnerable and marginalized communities that will suffer the outcomes (de Freitas Netto et al., 2020). For example, the infamous case of the Flint water crisis, namely, drinking water contamination and the subsequent lead poisoning, has affected the African American communities to the greatest extent (Day et al., 2019). Therefore, there are reasons to believe that greenwashing is, indeed, a colonial practice. For this reason, efforts must be made to ensure that organizations focus on integrating the principles of diversity, multiculturalism, and ethical responsibility into their decision-making. Thus, vulnerable groups and communities will be spared numerous risks to their well-being.
References
Day, A. M., O’Shay-Wallace, S., Seeger, M. W., & McElmurry, S. P. (2019). Informational sources, social media use, and race in the Flint, Michigan, water crisis. Communication studies, 70(3), 352-376. Web.
de Freitas Netto, S. V., Sobral, M. F. F., Ribeiro, A. R. B., & Soares, G. R. D. L. (2020). Concepts and forms of greenwashing: A systematic review. Environmental Sciences Europe, 32(1), 1-12. Web.