This post was inspired by a recent discussion with some other green-minded people about greenwashing and pinkwashing in the personal care industry. Of course, both problems are found in virtually every industry these days, not just the personal care industry.
Many people have heard the term ‘greenwashing’ already. It’s when a company markets its product or service as greener than it really is in order to capitalize on the growing interest in green living, rather than make clear and honest marketing claims motivated by a genuine desire to contribute to the overall health of people and the planet above their desire for profit.
However, not as many have considered the problem of ‘pinkwashing’ yet. So, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I’d like to introduce you to the term. The best definition I’ve found is this: “pinkwashing: a term used to describe the activities of companies and groups that position themselves as leaders in the struggle to eradicate breast cancer while engaging in practices that may be contributing to rising rates of the disease.”
A desire for profit is not necessarily the problem here; everyone needs to make a living through profits of some sort. The problem lies in the ethical decisions and heart motivations behind the profit-making. And these issues can only be unearthed by asking questions. So, before you reach into your wallet to buy that next pink-packaged product to support the fight against breast cancer, you might want to do a little digging. The simplest place to start if it is a personal care item: look at its ingredient list.
Where I found the definition above: http://www.pinkwashing.org
For info on personal care ingredients, see Part 3 of my free report.