Greenwashing In Focus As COP27 Climate Conference Approaches

The United Nations annual climate conference is quickly approaching, and with it, a focus on greenwashing.

Greenwashing is an unsubstantiated claim to deceive consumers into believing a company’s products are environmentally friendly or have a better environmental impact than what is the truth. 

It is a form of misleading conduct. 

Companies will present non-environmental products as being environmentally friendly. It is typically done as an advertising or marketing spin to deceptively persuade the public. 

COP27 is being criticized for a slew of different types of greenwashing already, from its sponsors to the host nation itself, The Guardian reported.

COP27 is being hosted this year by Egypt. 

Many experts and activists are criticizing the global summit as a forum for greenwashing. 

Egypt is making a big show of solar panels and biodegradable straws ahead of the climate summit. 

But in reality, Egypt has imprisoned activists and banned research. Experts and activists say the climate movement should not play along and greenwash Egypt. 

There are an estimated 60,000 political prisoners in Egypt. Many Egyptian human rights activists and environmental activists, as well as journalists and academics, have been harassed, spied on, or barred from travel. 

While Egypt positions itself to celebrate its official climate “youth leaders,” many are calling for people to see through the greenwashing technique being deployed by the nation in order to make it look better. 

Another big focus is on Cop’s sponsor this year: Coca-Cola. 

Coca-Cola has been described as the “world’s top polluter” by environmental groups. Its sponsorship has been branded as a “greenwash” by campaigners.

Plastics campaigners called it ‘astounding’ that the world’s top polluter has sponsored the key UN climate meeting. 

Coca-Cola produces 120 billion throwaway plastic bottles a year. And 99 percent of plastics are made from fossil fuels, worsening both the plastic and climate crisis. 

The cooperation agreement with Coca-Cola was signed by the Egyptian government. During the signing ceremony at the foreign ministry in Cairo, Ahmed Rady, Coca-Cola’s vice-president of operations for north Africa, said: “Coca-Cola’s firm belief that working together through meaningful partnerships will create shared opportunities for communities and people around the world and in Egypt.”