Q&A: George Basile and Kristina Skierka
Comments(1)
Bite Communications recently published “Greenwashing: A Perfect Storm,” a whitepaper that examines the public interest in environmentalism and its impact on the PR industry. The study’s authors, George Basile and Kristina Skierka of Bite Communications’ cleantech practice, agreed to answer a few questions via e-mail for Target Green about the study and why PR pros should embark on green campaigns with some caution.
Target Green: Do you think it is a good idea for a company to do something towards going green — even if the step is so small that some could perceive it as greenwashing?
Absolutely. Look, the truth is, we all need to take some pretty dramatic action to protect our climate and preserve our environment. Based on our experience, first, small steps – such as banning Styrofoam cups or instituting telecommuting programs – end-up creating momentum within organizations. The problem we’re starting to see is that many companies are trying to do this on their own, without a deep understanding of sustainability or eco influencers – creating a breeding ground for greenwashing. Worse, companies that treat eco communications the same as any other platform or product launch are threatening no only “green” efforts, but the corporate brand itself. Environmental communications are different, and must be backed up by authentic, legitimate action. The size of a “small step” would not be the cause of a greenwashing claim, as long as that step is not blown out of proportion for what it really is. It does matter that companies create environmental leadership initiatives that address their comparative corporate footprint and system influence. Without the latter – which comes down to a company’s vision and mission – environmental leadership efforts will be limited in terms of effectives and brand value. In the worst case, companies who fail to define their “terms” risk pursuing a number of ad-hoc costly actions that do not add up to an effective leadership, brand, communications or operational platform.
Target Green: The whitepaper points out that activist journalists are forcing companies to be increasingly aware of greenwashing. What can PR pros do to ensure they reach out to activist media?
Indeed, this century has seen the birth of a new kind of corporate environmentalism — which has mesmerized today’s real-time, all-the-time media. Since we’re in an era where a significant majority of the population — from CEOs to mail clerks — considers themselves an environmentalist, what happens when everyone also is a journalist? Greenwashing becomes the cause célèbre. We are just beginning to see the effects of a new citizen media (e.g., bloggers and ubiquitous video) and the ability of a single human being to amplify a message, drive an issue, or affect a well-cultivated corporate brand.
