Yep, there are some gaping holes in the green economy

Hey 

Welcome to green jobs rising!

You asked, “Is the green sector all positive?” And we got, “What is not working in the sector?”

Have you heard of the term ‘green washing’?

You may have seen or heard corporations or governments promote their initiatives as “sustainable,” but without any real environmental benefit.

Maybe you’ve seen them take part in tree planting drives or donate seedlings, only to never follow up on the growth or survival of those trees.

Or perhaps you’ve come across products labelled “Eco-friendly,” yet they still aren’t biodegradable, and we’re left struggling with how to dispose of them sustainably.

These examples are all too common in the green sector. As more people respond to the effects of climate change, there’s a growing urgency to find ways to make the planet more liveable and mitigate those effects.

As a result, many individuals and corporations are eager to attract support, whether from the public, funders, or consumers, and some are willing to bend the truth to do so.

Take Volkswagen, for example.
In 2009, the company launched a high-profile campaign promoting its new “clean diesel” vehicles. Across print and television ads, Volkswagen and Audi boasted about reduced tailpipe emissions. “Green has never felt so right,” one Audi commercial claimed.

But a few years later, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) discovered that Volkswagen had installed software to cheat emissions tests on 11 million vehicles. In reality, their “clean diesel” cars were emitting nitrogen oxide at up to 40 times the legal limit.

The resulting “Dieselgate” scandal became one of the most notorious examples of green washing. It ultimately cost Volkswagen nearly $40 billion.

In 2024, Total Energies partnered with South African National Parks (SanParks) to promote a tourism campaign encouraging visitors to post selfies in scenic areas using the hashtag #FuelYourExperience, tagging both Total Energies and SANParks. Winners received gift vouchers and weekend getaways.

TotalEnergies claimed to be “committed to sustainable development and environmental protection.” Yet, in reality, the company had significantly increased its emissions.

It also holds a 62% stake in the Africa Crude Oil Pipeline, which, when completed, will be the longest electrically heated crude oil pipeline in the world and could severely damage ecosystems along its route. The campaign was later flagged as misleading advertising.

These are just a few examples.

So, what is green washing? Green washing is when companies make false or misleading claims about the environmental benefits of a product, service, or practice.
It allows them to profit from consumers’ good intentions while continuing, or even expanding, harmful environmental practices in the background.

Why does it matter? Green washing gives some companies an unfair advantage. They appear Eco-friendly while continuing environmentally damaging practices, which makes it harder for genuinely sustainable businesses to stand out.

In the end, green washing misleads consumers and slows down meaningful progress on environmental protection.

Unfortunately, this is one of the downsides of the sustainability transition: Not everything labelled "green" is truly sustainable. But that doesn’t mean the transition isn’t happening, it is, and with a powerful force like never before.