Does Greenwashing Have it's roots in Egoism?

[dadmonson]

Egoism is an ethic that says you must be the beneficiary of your own actions.  Greenwashing is when a business lies about how green they are so they can gain financially.  Some might say that greenwashing is justified under egoism since egoism is all about maximizing your self interest. 

 

I do know there is such a thing as subjective egoism and that people should be honest in most situations and act on principle but I'm not sure on how I would go about telling a person, who knows nothing about Objectivism, how greenwashing is not in a company's self interest.  This greenwashing that some companies partake in, just gives people who already hate businesses another reason to bash businesses.

 

With my superficial understanding of Objectivism and egoism all I could say is:  "A company lying about how green they are, for financial gain, is not acting in accord with their long term self interest because they might be found out one day as a fraud."  That's all I got.

 

 

 

 

 

Here's an example of an ad that has some greenwashing in it:

 

 

 

 

[StrictlyLogical]

A corporation is not an individual... and in fact it is not alive, it is not conscious, cannot be rational have goals, a morality, or virtues.

 

With regard to any individual who participates in a corporation, reviewing the concepts, morality, selfishness, virtue, and honesty in the Ayn Rand lexicon may be helpful.

 

 

http://aynrandlexicon.com/

[Nicky]

With my superficial understanding of Objectivism and egoism all I could say is:  "A company lying about how green they are, for financial gain, is not acting in accord with their long term self interest because they might be found out one day as a fraud." 

Lying (to people who aren't seeking to use force against you) in general is not a rationally selfish act.

[dadmonson]

Thanks for the reply guys.

A corporation is not an individual... and in fact it is not alive, it is not conscious, cannot be rational have goals, a morality, or virtues.

 

With regard to any individual who participates in a corporation, reviewing the concepts, morality, selfishness, virtue, and honesty in the Ayn Rand lexicon may be helpful.

 

 

http://aynrandlexicon.com/

 

It would seem that the most effective argument against lying, is that lying(generally) puts you in conflict with reality and in the long run ebbs your self esteem and happiness.  However, what about the person who has no guilty conscience?  People like that do exist...so what then?  Are there ramications to greenwashing that are more palpable? 
 

Edited March 24, 2015 by dadmonson

[Repairman]

 

 

 

However, what about the person who has no guilty conscience?  People like that do exist...so what then?  Are there ramications to greenwashing that are more palpable? 

 

 

As StrictlyLogic suggested, their is no corporate-conscience, in spite of anything their public relations spokes-people might say. If a person, or small business, is caught in a lie, they would have to face the consequences of a disapproving client, customer base, or at worse, legal action. The least one could expect is a drop in sales. A dishonest corporation would have to deal with the same problem.

 

As for "greenwashing" specifically, I don't know of anyone who cares enough about such claims, that is, to care enough to change their buying-habits. I suppose some exist.

[dadmonson]

 

 

 

As StrictlyLogic suggested, their is no corporate-conscience, in spite of anything their public relations spokes-people might say. If a person, or small business, is caught in a lie, they would have to face the consequences of a disapproving client, customer base, or at worse, legal action. The least one could expect is a drop in sales. A dishonest corporation would have to deal with the same problem.

 

As for "greenwashing" specifically, I don't know of anyone who cares enough about such claims, that is, to care enough to change their buying-habits. I suppose some exist.

 

Yes, only environmentalists would care about those claims.

[StrictlyLogical]

Thanks for the reply guys.

 

It would seem that the most effective argument against lying, is that lying(generally) puts you in conflict with reality and in the long run ebbs your self esteem and happiness.  However, what about the person who has no guilty conscience?  People like that do exist...so what then?  Are there ramications to greenwashing that are more palpable? 

 

 

Read a bit more about the subjects above and you will realize a "guilty conscience" is the least of your worries if you have chosen to abandon the principle of honestly.  Honesty as a policy serves self-interest (in a civil non-emergency context) and dishonesty works against your self-interest.

 

To the extent announcements about one's environmental report card is fraudulent it is not in the rational self interest of the originator, whereas to the extent it is merely puffery, posturing, or bragging about the truth (assuming for the moment such is possible) it can in fact serve self-interest. 

 

That said, changing one's behavior in a self-sacrificial way to preserve the environment (as opposed to doing it for the purposes of self-interest) is ab initio generally not in one's self-interest. 

 

So in summary telling the truth about being self-sacrificial is right insofar as honesty is concerned, which is independent of the wrong already present: the self-sacrifice.

Edited March 25, 2015 by StrictlyLogical

[Repairman]

I agree:

 

So in summary telling the truth about being self-sacrificial is right insofar as honesty is concerned, which is independent of the wrong already present: the self-sacrifice.

To state it another way: "Greenwashing" has its roots in altruism, rather than rational egoism.

 

There is a trend in advertising to inflate the value of products and services with claims of being eco-friendly. I believe most people continue to consume based on price and satisfaction, but obviously there are sufficient numbers of consumers willing to switch brands as a result of advertised claims. But if they're really concerned with "saving the planet," they can do the research and determine the validity of such claims. And indeed, they are likely to find that most of these claims are as meaningless as the "weight-reducing" claims that have sold plenty of fats and calories to consumers. If you chose to consume products that make "greenwashing" claims for the purpose of impressing others, or in the sincere belief that the environment will be spared your "carbon footprint," you are doing yourself no favor.