Greenwashing in the beauty industry
The last half a decade has somehow experienced an incredible influx of terms regarding the evolution of beauty. The beauty products have moved from the status of being clean to vegan. The market has also experienced changes from environmentally friendly packaging to organic formulations. Currently, the international beauty industry experiences new categories of products. With such status, it is important to look into the policing of this self-categorization of products. A discussion on such an issue makes it possible to understand the definition of greenwashing. Finding out the true nature of products in the market is similar to protecting the environment against any harmful implications associated with these products. For this, the paper uses a literature review in identifying the true nature of issues surrounding greenwashing.
Presenting the Literature Review of Greenwashing in the Beauty industry
Despite companies wanting to remain focused on the production of profitable products to support their financial developments, they should be mindful of the environment around them. The current world is ravaged by chemicals and non-recyclable products, making it hard to protect the environment from degradation. For this, it is important to focus on possible ways to ensure organic beauty products (Rotman, R. M., Gossett & Goldman, H. D. (2020). It is crucial for companies to comply with regulations that are more focused on conserving the environment and creating a possible outcome of promoting effectiveness in the conservation of the environment. In this case, the literature review presented by the paper will be undertaken through the following:
Operational Definition of Greenwashing and Greenwashing Position in the Market
Shen & Shen (2019) reiterate that greenwashing is also known as Green sheen. It serves as a form of marketing spin in which companies undertake green public relations. The main focus is on companies undertaking an aspect of promoting green values. Anyone who has come across the term may argue that it is a type of green marketing with a high deceptive nature that tends to be used for the purpose of persuading the public that the products of an organisation are somehow compliant with organisational regulations regarding environmental conservation. The focus is on ensuring that the market knows that the products, aims, and policies are compliant with the status of being environmentally friendly (Rubin & Brod, 2019). Beauty companies may undertake such strategies because they know the significance of the environment to current consumers, governments, the private sector, and the different individuals in our modern society (Daels, 2017). Hence, they tend to perceive their products as those that are fitted better to appeal to nature (Jendrych, 2017). Common examples that are present in the marketing and advertisement of beauty products include natural and alternative medicine.
Bergquist (2017) claims that evidence associated with an organisation shows that greenwashing originates from the aspect of pointing out the expenditure differences associated with the development of an organisation. More time is spent on the aspect of marketing and advertising products as being green. Companies that use greenwashing in their products operate with a significant consideration for the environment around them. The money for advertisement is always focused on the theme of being green (Marriya, 2017). It does not focus on the actual process of ensuring that there is an aspect of introducing green environmental developments. Greenwashing efforts range from the changing of the name and label associated with a product. The reason is to evoke the natural environment on a product that contains harmful chemicals to marketing campaigns that portray highly polluting energy companies as being eco-friendly (Rajiani & Kot, 2018). Therefore, greenwashing may be perceived as a scam undertaken by companies to hide the true nature of the products that they produce for the markets around them. Greenwashing may be considered as a mask that cover-up unsustainable corporate activities, policies, an agenda.
The situation has influenced several accusations whereby companies have been able to experience some significant fines and lawsuits against their products for putting products that are harmful to the market under the disguise of the products being great. Due to these accusations, companies continue to somehow hide the true nature of the products to avoid lawsuits and fines in the market (Richardson, Barritt, & Bowman, 2019). Greenwashing is not a new concept since it has existed in the market for many years. The main reason for its existence has been about the companies working hard to ensure they meet the demand of consumers in relation to the consumption of environmentally friendly services and goods (de Regt, Montecchi, & Ferguson, 2019). The main issue is founded on lax enforcements implemented by agencies in the international business community. Among the agencies include the Canadian Competition Bureau, the United Kingdom’s Broadcast of Advertisement Practice and the Committee of Advertising Practice, and the United States’ Federal Trade Commission.
McGaurr & Lester (2017) states that different critics associated with the greenwashing practice tend to argue that greenwashing exists because of problems with ineffective regulation. The concept of greenwashing and its associated issues are more focused on consumer skepticism associated with green claims. It tends to diminish the power of the consumer when it comes to promoting an aspect of ensuring companies are able to move towards greener solutions in their manufacturing processes and procedures. Several corporate structures employ greenwashing as a way through which they are able to repair their public perception to strengthen their legitimacy in the market (Shreedhar, 2017). Companies understand that their beauty products may influence them to have a limited market share if they are not put in a way that they are able to be appreciated by the market around them.
Hence, having to lie about their friendly nature makes it possible for them to remain competitive in their markets. Hence, greenwashing is used to ensure that effective relationships are introduced in the market to influence positive developments among companies. Many corporate structures have been established in a way that they are able to repair their brand position in the market of operations (Newsome & Hassell, 2014). The approach is founded on ensuring that the market has a better way of raising positive perceptions regarding their brands in the market. Corporate structures have been instrumental in using greenwashing as a way to remain competitive and meet their profitability background. A growing body associated with research findings has been instrumental in identifying the fact that the issues with greenwashing have to be studied comprehensively for them to be understood well (Balconi, Sebastiani, & Angioletti, 2019). The other reason is about individuals having to understand the various strategies employed in promoting greenwashing in the market. Greenwashing incentives are studied to understand how the corporates in the beauty industry and any other sector are trying to remain relevant in the market through posturing and deception.
Regulations in the European Union
Regulations come in different forms and focus on different areas of development regarding the aspect of greenwashing in the beauty industry (Zhuang, 2015). The breaking down of the issue into the following country and regional categories are important:
The European Union
Majláth (2017) states that, to begin with, the 1984 Misleading Advertising Directive has been instrumental in the creation of minimum standards. It has served as a significant component of the EU’s internal market project. It takes the position of defining misleading advertising and outlines some different measures to combat it. European member states have the freedom to choose between enforcement methods pursuant of rigorous regulation. The Directive has been known to lay down some significant principles that include the burden of proof on advertisers to prove their claims (Da Silva, Scherer, & Pivetta, 2018). The burden of proof shall ensure that the advertisements are able to follow a specific format and procedure in their development. Member states have to ensure that companies are more prospective in their calls to maximize harmonization. The above means that advertisements should be considered as either misleading or lawful in the member states. The objective is to ensure that there is an aspect of overcoming a gap in the internal market. The results should also increase legal certainty.
Wilk (2018) argues that member states continue to use self-regulation as the main principle approach of enforcement through the notion of ensuring state control serves as the last resort. The framework also encourages a blacklist of prohibited practices that should be inculcated into legislation, which includes provisions against claiming to be signatories associated with a code of conduct. The regulation is also important in ensuring a signatory code of conduct exists in the market (Bhatnagar & Verma, 2019). Provisions tend to focus on the various signatories associated with the code of conduct that display the reasons as to why companies have to focus on the establishment of advertisements that focus on greenwashing. The code of conduct should be published and endorsed through a public body. The code of conduct should also ensure principal additions are undertaken in preventing misleading regulations (Anido Freire & Loussaïef, 2018). A general cause associated with unfair practices will ensure the adoption of consumer-first approaches. Incorrect information regarding the position of a product is instrumental in meeting the needs of an organization (Nagy, 2015). strict restrictions are always important in promoting prescriptive remedies. The involvement of the government is always instrumental in promoting the right advertisement procedures that are meant to promote the truth about greenwashing in the market.
Many of the European laws and regulations tend to have an aspect of state involvement in terms of focusing on the issues that surround the marketing process. With this, it becomes easier for them to improve existing systems that encourage misleading advertisements. The situation may not result in harmonised-Europe regulations with the capacity to protect the environment and the consumers effectively. The market has different systems that are founded on self-regulation of advertising the industry, which has to continue among member states. The European Union does not choose a system such as the one that has its application in the Nordic countries (Stanev, 2015). The system tends to combine both the aspect of countries participating in their environment and the Special Market Court System, using the easy and fast procedure. Misleading advertising legislation in most member states may be divided into a number of categories. The first categories comprise nations that tend to possess legislations that are designed for the protection of consumers (Aakko & Koskennurmi-Sivonen, R. (2013). These are legislations that tend to have Germany, Austria, Luxemburg, Spain, and Greece. The Nordic countries such as Sweden tend to use an authority in enforcing their legislation.
A police advertisement and response tend to look into fines of non-compliant advertisers and the prohibition of further publication of their advertisement. The controversial case concludes at the special market court. Belgium’s legislation tends to protect both consumers and competitors from an aspect of unfair practice. The enforcement of regulations on misleading advertisements. Controversial cases have always ended in market courts. Belgium’s laws tend to ensure that both consumers and predictors are important individuals in promoting jurisprudent precedents. They elaborate on more specific regulations. The Minister for Economic Affairs improves the operations of different sectors (Miller, 2013). The second group comprises countries such as Italy and the Netherlands. All the countries tend to rely on self-regulation for an aspect of promoting enforcement. Countries in the second category are those that serve as state control among companies operating in their environments. It ensures that there are newly established Consumer Authority to intervene in self-regulations.
The last category comprises the United Kingdom and Ireland. The United Kingdom tends to be comprehensive in its development. It ensures the presentation of comprehensive consumer protection legislation. The law is written in the United Kingdom to ensure that the companies are able to become more focused on the promotion of developing the right frameworks. Both countries tend to have self-regulation by strengthening the state authority for the enforcement of self-regulatory rulings (Chhabra, 2017). The United Kingdom tends to focus on a system that tends to deal with any aspect of misleading advertisements compared to other member states. The United Kingdom tends to possess an aspect of ensuring that its policies are able to remain significant in preventing the beauty industry from experiencing some problems. They issue codes of practice and prevent greenwashing from occurring (Rubin & Brod, 2019). The products have to be tested for them to experience some enforcement such s self-regulation.
Environmental Advertising
Green marketing and environmental advertising are instrumental in ensuring the market runs in the best way possible. Green marketing has reference to the practice that involves the development and advertisement of products on the market. The main outcome of environmental and green advertising looks into an aspect of promoting the right outcome that supports environmental sustainability (Christiano, 2017). Several incentives among companies tend to exist when it comes to dealing with different issues that are engaged in environmental advertising. Companies have a perceived commitment to ensure that environmental causes tend to increase their importance in the process of influencing customers to spend more in their environments. Consumers are willing to accept higher prices from companies due to their role in promoting environmental conservation.
Environmental advertising has been known to have social and environmental impacts. In some regions, such as the Middle East, Latin America, and other places tend to have a positive aspect of development when it comes to dealing with environmental advertising (Naboni, 2013). Companies such as L’Oréal are known to become leaders in environmental advertising. The company has invested heavily in the promotion of different environmental and social initiatives. The company has become instrumental in investing in social impacts projects (Curiel & Bernabéu,(2017). Many of them have focused on promoting the right developments in the advertisement process because of the features associated with environmental advertising.
Green Advertising
Green advertising in the beauty industry has been used as a practice that develops and advertises products due to their real and perceived sustainability in the market of development. Examples of green advertising comprise the aspect of the government and the private sector working to ensure that carbon emission in the international community is eliminated and reduced (MacIntosh, Apostolis, & Walker, 2013). The process comprises the manufacturing process experiencing an aspect of reduced pollution in the market. The use of post-consumer recycled materials is important for companies. Such materials are used to ensure the packaging of products in the market. Some companies tend to have development in their markets through the donation of a portion of their sales to ensure that environmental initiatives are undertaken (Spash, 2017). Such companies tend to take part in activities such as tree planting.
When it comes to green marketing, it means that many countries have not substantiated their investments and operational changes in the market. The situation may see them as having misleading advertisements. Green advertising is one of the worst forms of greenwashing that many beauty companies use in the market (Sun, 2018). Green marketing has and continues to be used as a broader movement towards the conscious of individuals’ business practices. Consumers have to establish companies that tend to be committed to the improvement of their operations. This is in the form of governmental, social, and environmental policies that are instrumental in initiating growth in the market (Jones, 2013). Various examples of green advertising tend to comprise the reduction of carbon emissions that are involved in the operations of a company. The situation includes an aspect of maintaining the company’s high labor operations in the market (Michael, 2017). Despite the green marketing process focusing on the environmental development of countries, it is important to note that their efforts are increasingly focused on encouraging developments. Denying companies an aspect of them having to launch lies in their marketing initiatives makes it possible to ensure that the consumers are able to acquire the right frameworks of enhancing developments. Consumers are protected from health issues in the market.
Purchasing Behavior of Green Products
The purchasing behavior among individuals in the market exists from the interactions they have with the products around them. When it comes to creating a notion of companies having to remain sustainable in the environment, consumers may become more focused on the purchase of the products around them. It means that they may try as much as possible to use the law as per their interests and needs to ensure the required developments (Lane, 2014). With this, it is possible for most companies to become more saleable in the market compared to those that fail to produce green products. For this, most self-regulatory agencies in the bodies are funded by the advertising industry. This means that none of the private agencies tend to be independent in their environment. They tend to use codes to ensure that relevant chapters are instrumental in promoting developments. All the agencies in the United Kingdom work with complete codes. Efficacy is mostly founded on factors such as the independence levels, the time that is required to ensure a complaint, stakeholders’ participation, and the employment of actions. The benefits associated with their decision vary because they ensure that individuals and companies are more focused on transparent and honest information (Joshi & Bajpai, 2018). The benefits associated with the self-regulatory system tends to remain comprehensive when it comes to dealing with adverse media attention.
Buiani (2015) states that the drawbacks associated with the advertisement policies in the United Kingdom include decisions that are taken too slowly in stopping a running advertising campaign. Sanctions tend to be weak and do not prevent future offenses. The country lacks independence from different advertising sector. The government tends to eliminate an aspect of stakeholder involvement. The market has a major difference when it comes to self-regulatory bodies (Shaw & Menday, 2013). The United Kingdom operates with a higher degree of independence when it comes to regulating the beauty industry. It has limited stakeholder participation compared to other countries in the international community (Braun, Dreiling, Eddy, & Dominguez, 2015). The country tends to publicize its decisions by providing advertisers with an incentive that needs to be followed and ensure that regulations are followed in the right manner.
The Framework: Persuasion Knowledge Model
Friestad & Wright (1994) has confirmed that when it comes to the marketing of any product, it becomes important to focus on possible ways of ensuring that the market is able to accept products. This means that customers should always remain focused on purchasing the products in large numbers. The market has different types of consumers in the market. Their primary tasks are to ensure that they interpret and cope with the various sale presentations. Consumers should develop a persuasion framework with the right knowledge and skills that tend to respond to the persuasive attempt of customers in the market. This makes it possible for different customers to understand their goal, which is about influencing their minds to prepare themselves for supporting their satisfaction when it comes to dealing with the products around them. The model has been instrumental in enabling individuals to understand the market around them. Consumers are studied from all corners, and companies have their strategies evaluated to ensure that they are able to become focused on promoting the required developments.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the paper has shown how companies are trying their best to remain competitive and relevant in the market. Their position is one that is influenced by unfair strategies that are focused on lying to the public regarding their environmentally friendly nature. Greenwashing is a new term in the market when it comes to the perception people have towards different products they come across. Greenwashing has been known to ensure that people are made to believe that the company making beauty products protects the environment compared to what it really does. Companies try as much as possible to convince the market that they are making products that are clean. They may push for the idea that the products they are making continue to be environmentally friendly when they are actually not doing so. The question about this case revolves around the significance of the issue of greenwashing being important. When it comes to this issue, more people are demanding that the products being manufactured by beauty companies comply with environmental regulations. They should be better at supporting the health of the plant and individuals.
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