As a result of the growing awareness of the impact that humans have on climate change and the urgent need to change our way of life to reverse the resulting climate emergency, the public considers the policies and practices of companies in making decisions of consumption.
As the demand for sustainable products and services grows, the risk increases that companies will mislead the public into believing that the products or services they offer, or the companies themselves, are environmentally friendly or sustainable, when in fact they are not. . This practice is known as “eco-whitening” or “Greenwashing” for its term in English.
Specifically, eco-laundering is the act of misleading via the dissemination of unfounded or misleading claims about the environmental and sustainable practices or benefits of a product or service offered by a company, or the policies and principles that govern it. Ecolaundering is a current and recurring practice of companies. Its excessive use has generated lawsuits in different jurisdictions for lack of responsibility and ethics in climate matters, for misleading product disclosure practices and for the protection of consumers.