Preface
Earlier this week, I was starting my workday with a typical cup of coffee and a scroll on LinkedIn. This is where I came across a new Tim Hortons campaign promoting their new extra eco-friendly “plastic-free cups.” Unsurprisingly, there was a lot of endorsement and praise around this post. However, I think we are witnessing a classic case of greenwashing. In North America, coffee culture is a huge industry, thus, companies like Tim Hortons and Starbucks thrive. Unfortunately, these companies have gotten very good at covering up their unsustainable and unethical practices which encourages us to continue to bring our business to places which, at the end of the day, probably shouldn’t be supported in their current state. Both in terms of environmentalism and basic human rights/ethics, a lot is going on behind the scenes of these “environmentally and socially conscious” companies.
What is Greenwashing?
Greenwashing is essentially when a company advertises its brand and products to be more eco-friendly, sustainable, or ethical than they actually are. In some cases, companies can spend more money on marketing their sustainability than they spend to actually implement eco-friendly and ethical practices. Further, greenwashing campaigns actively mislead the public to view an organization as a forward-thinking, change-making business, when realistically, they are doing more harm than good. I’m sure that most of us are aware that these kinds of marketing tactics are not uncommon.
Since the recent increase in attention to the climate crisis, these kinds of misleading campaigns have skyrocketed. In my opinion, I don’t think many of us truly believe that any of these companies are 100% ethical or sustainable. Therefore, we aren’t entirely fooled into giving them our business with the belief that we are helping the environment. However, I do think that greenwashing campaigns draw attention away from how damaging these companies are to the environment and cover-up unethical practices that deserve more of our attention. Herein lies my biggest issue with greenwashing. Not that it is entirely convincing, but that it steers the conversation away from what should really be talked about.
Sustainability Greenwashing Campaigns
In 2019, Tim Hortons was named one of the top plastic polluters in Canada along with Nestle for the second year in a row. The usual responses of “deep company concern” and “commitment to sustainability” were offered in response. Now, 5 years later, Tim Hortons has launched a new campaign of paper items such as straws, packaging, and coffee cups. According to their Sustainability page, it’s all 100% recyclable. At face value, some environmental action is better than none. I find that this piece gets lost in discussions regarding environmentalism and sustainability. And, some may argue that “any action is better than no action.” However, that is where the complexity of greenwashing is revealed.
These weak environmental efforts produce the facade that large companies are learning and growing. However, their overall impact is still arguably more harmful than helpful. Although these cups are now paper or, allegedly, recyclable, what about all the cups that get thrown in the garbage instead of the recycling bin? Or the cups that are “recycled” half-full of liquid and will never have the chance to make up 30% of your next cup… allegedly. What about the millions of cups thrown on the side of the street? Yes, responsible waste disposal is technically the individual responsibility of each citizen. However, the company is still releasing all this junk into the world. Let’s consider ending excessive waste at the source.
One response that Tim Hortons has had to this backlash is “since 1978, it has offered a discount, 10 cents [in 2019], to encourage consumers to bring a reusable mug.” As much as saving 10 cents is a nice gesture from a company that rakes in billions of dollars each year, there are better alternatives. Although this may seem radical, this weak incentive could be much more effective if companies like Tim Hortons didn’t offer disposable cups altogether. Besides convenience, there is simply no need for all the waste. In Canada, we have adapted to life without plastic grocery bags, so why not take it further? Given the current state of the climate crisis, it doesn’t seem incredibly far-fetched to be required to bring your own cup on your coffee run.
Ethical Greenwashing Campaigns
In my definition of greenwashing, ethical deception is also a part of misleading consumers to believe a company is creating more positive social impact than it actually is. That is because a part of sustainable business also relates to ethics, especially when operating on an international scale. Starbucks is a current example of this type of greenwashing. After seeing recent articles about the new lawsuit against Starbucks, I took a closer look at some of their campaigns versus reality.
In early January of this year, a U.S. consumer advocacy group filed a lawsuit against Starbucks, claiming that they advertise as sourcing coffee beans 100% ethically, which is not the case. Allegedly, they are sourcing products from farms abroad that have a history of “child labor and forced labor as well as rampant and egregious sexual harassment and assault.” This is not the first time that these claims have been made. Looking back to 2020, Channel 4’s Dispatches released an exposé on Starbucks and unethical sourcing. This exposé contained footage of children as young as eight years old working 40-hour weeks in brutal heat and physically strenuous conditions for unbelievably low daily wages. Who were they working for? Farms from which Starbucks and Nespresso were sourcing products.
For a visual depiction of this deception, the following photos are taken directly from the 2021 Starbucks Global Environmental and Social Impact Report:
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The following photos are taken from footage presented in Channel 4’s Dispatches exposé:
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Yes, Starbucks is capable of making necessary changes.
Some argue that “Starbucks can’t enforce human rights laws from across the world or control what greedy farm owners do.” Although this is commonly assumed and used as a justification in cases like this, it is not entirely true. Aside from the comically low standard of due diligence and complete lack of adequate reporting and evaluation of their product sourcing partners, the rate of pay for farm workers is something that Starbucks does have control over.
When farmers are not paid enough to afford basic necessities to support their families, children are brought into the mix. Rather than attending school or simply being a kid, children are relied upon for additional income. Exploitation then becomes a family-wide burden. Child labour is present in many industries other than coffee, especially among rural farming communities around the world. I am not naive to the fact that we don’t live in a perfect world. And unfortunately, capitalist greed will likely prevail as it has for decades. However, these multi-billion dollar companies that dare to label themselves as “ethical” do, in fact, have the means to pay a livable wage and enforce labour laws and rights. Do not be fooled when they actively choose not to.
My Hypocrisy
After digesting and analyzing all this information, the bottom line is that I am not surprised. Although yesterday was my first time reading about the Starbucks lawsuit, and it was only a few days ago when I found out about the new Tim Hortons campaign, these kinds of things are nothing new. And that is not news to me. My hypocrisy lies in my willingness to purchase goods from these places. Until now.
Disclaimer, I am not saying that I will grow my own coffee beans or never buy a coffee or bagel from these places ever again. If I said that, then I would be greenwashing. However, I can say that I will prioritize making my own coffee, even when not convenient. I will try to bring my reusable cup when going out for a coffee. As much as possible, I will bring my business to smaller, more reputable cafes that verifiably source sustainable goods. Even if it costs a bit more.
I find that as one among many, we feel as though we have little impact on these kinds of issues. Unlike big corporations, our action towards sustainability has less effect considering they are on a much smaller scale. This is a difficult topic considering so many parts of our everyday consumer-based, capitalist lives are unsustainable. Any action feels negligible. That being said, I can begin to do my part by being aware of what kinds of products I am purchasing and actively working to reduce my support of unsustainable businesses. If possible, I hope you will too.
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