Sportswashing or what?

My column in the illuminem: October 26, 2022.

https://illuminem.com/illuminemvoices/b2d325f5-37bc-4c89-81d3-ba41e2fb2f0c

Every other day we hear of a new manifestation of greenwashing. While on the one hand companies and countries have vied for green pledges leading to an illusory #netzero , they resort to the likes of sportswashing or nature rinsing to delude the world. That has become a sport by itself!

“We’re… seeing a growing trend for greenwishing where companies set hugely ambitious climate targets, with little or no clear plan to achieve them. That might help companies in the short term, but without realistic targets they’ll be on a hiding to nothing.” Matthew Bell observes in EY’s annual Climate Risk Barometer (many thanks Zsolt Lengyel).

“#Greenwashing is a marketing or advertising strategy where corporations recognise environmental problems but then use misleading or false information to make it appear as if they and the products they sell are providing solutions to these problems”, explains Hans Stegeman.

New research demonstrates that industry associations representing key sectors and some of the largest companies in the world are lobbying to delay, dilute and rollback critically needed policy aimed at preventing and reversing biodiversity loss in the EU and US. Highlights InfluenceMap.

Biodiversity loss due to human activity is occurring globally at unprecedented rates and faster than at any other time in human history. Despite increasing awareness of the #biodiversitycrisis, the world failed to meet any of the UN biodiversity targets for the last decade, reminds Influencemap.org. And, at the UN Biodiversity Conference (#COP15) due to be held in Montreal in December, governments from around the world will negotiate the post-2020 global biodiversity framework; a set of targets and goals for the next 10 years aimed at reversing biodiversity loss.

“The rise in litigation is important but it is the rise in regulation internationally, the growing robustness of regulators and the sharing of information and strategy amongst regulators that is more impressive. The SEC, BaFIN, ASA, CMA, FRA, EA, SEPA, EPS. FRC, DoJ, the Police in UK and Germany, Dutch Advertising agency, etc. which may be as important as litigation”. Professor Paul Watchman gives us some hope.

In the meantime, the US public relations firm Hill+Knowlton helping Egypt organise #COP27 also works for major oil companies and has been accused of greenwashing on their behalf, according to openDemocracy. Hill+Knowlton’s clients have also included Coca-Cola.

Is the world’s biggest annual climate event headed for a fizz?