greenwashing

English

Etymology

Blend of green +‎ whitewashing (or green +‎ -wash +‎ -ing).

Noun

greenwashing (usually uncountable, plural greenwashings)

1. The practice by people, organizations and states of presenting themselves as environmentally-friendly and progressive to downplay their actual destructive behavior.

   Synonym: greenwash

   • 2019 December 2, Jillian Ambrose, “Fossil fuel lobbyists push to dilute EU anti-greenwash plan”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

     Fossil fuel lobbyists are trying to water down planned EU rules to stop “investment greenwashing’ by setting science-based criteria for any investment which lays claim to being environmentally sustainable.

   • 2023 August 9, Paul Clifton, “Network News: Chiltern services powered by vegetable oil”, in RAIL, number 989, page 13:

     It's not greenwashing - it makes sense for a whole load of reasons. It demonstrates that we are not just accepting that we have to use diesel for years to come.

Translations

Translations

• Afrikaans: groenpoetsing, groenwassery
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 漂綠／漂绿 (piǎolǜ)

• Czech: lakování na zeleno n
• French: écoblanchiment (fr) m, habillage écologique m
• Greek: πράσινο ξέπλυμα (el) n (prásino xéplyma)
• Hungarian: greenwashing, környezetbarátként/környezettudatosként való feltüntetés, környezettudatos látszat keltése, (uncommon; literally “painting [things] green”) zöldre festés
• Spanish: lavado verde m, ecoblanqueo m
• Swedish: grönmålning c

Further reading

• greenwashing on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Verb

greenwashing

1. present participle and gerund of greenwash

Translations

Translations

• Afrikaans: groen poets, groen was
• Spanish: ecoblanqueando, lavando verde
• Swedish: grönmålning c

Related terms

• greenscamming
• purplewashing
• pinkwashing
• redwashing

See also

• outgreen