greenwash

/ˈɡɹiːnwɒʃ/

Etymology

Blend of green (“environmentally friendly”) + whitewash (or green + -wash), coined by Jay Westerveld in 1986.

Why this word is great

GREENWASH — [Noun, Verb] A false or misleading portrayal of environmental friendliness used to conceal damaging activities, or the act of creating such a portrayal. Coined by Jay Westerveld in 1986, it blends "green" (environmentally friendly) with "whitewash" (to conceal or gloss over), or the suffix "-wash" (implying deceptive propaganda). Unlike "green marketing" (which promotes legitimate sustainability) or "eco-friendly" (which denotes authentic benefit), greenwash is the art of dressing poison in the costume of virtue. It is the oil company’s slick ad featuring wind turbines while drilling deeper, the fast-fashion brand’s token organic line masking sweatshop labor, or the politician’s empty pledge to plant trees while gutting environmental regulations—a performance of care where the only thing growing is the lie.

noun

A false or misleading picture of environmental friendliness used to conceal or obscure damaging activities.“People can be cynical about companies hiding behind green ideals, their radars finely tuned to detect a greenwash.”

verb

To portray with a false or misleading image of environmental friendliness so as to conceal or obscure damaging activities.“But what happens more often is that media “greenwashes” dirty energy sources (coal, gas, nuclear power) as “clean”—a particularly dangerous notion because it belies the threat they pose to our planet and human health.”