S3 E4: Greenwashing

What happens when companies lie about their sustainability or pretend to be solarpunk? 🤥 Enter, the deceptive act of greenwashing 🤢⚠️⚠️ Press play to learn where the phrase comes from, why companies might do it, and how countries and communities are already combatting it to make the world a little more solarpunk! Bring your best selves, it’s not every day that a new Sci_Burst episode also coincides with a Taylor Swift album drop AND Mean Girls Day 😉☀️

Episode time stamps:

0:00 Introduction

3:30 What is Greenwashing?

21:45 Solarpunk washing ... it's a thing

45:42 Moving away from greenwashing to the future of a more circular, sustainable, and solarpunk world

58:47 Good news (clothing/fashion edition)

Want more? Here are some things we spoke about in this episode that we recommend:

• Greenwashing: Do you know what you’re buying? https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2898878/

• Big oil coined ‘carbon footprints’ to blame us for their greed. Keep them on the hook (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/aug/23/big-oil-coined-carbon-footprints-to-blame-us-for-their-greed-keep-them-on-the-hook)

• Concepts and forms of greenwashing: a systematic review (https://enveurope.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s12302-020-0300-3)

• Jay Westerveld (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Westerveld)

• How to spot greenwashing buzzwords Instagram post https://www.instagram.com/p/DIxyiZXtZ46/?img_index=8&igsh=Mmgxc3JvN3Bva2V0

• McDonald’s rolling out green logo in Europe (https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna34111784)

• H&M Case Shows How Greenwashing Breaks Brand Promise (https://www.forbes.com/sites/retailwire/2022/07/13/hm-case-shows-how-greenwashing-breaks-brand-promise/)

• Solarpunk, ESG and Greenwashing: How Firms Appeal to Green Investors (https://corporateinsight.com/solarpunk-esg-and-greenwashing-how-firms-appeal-to-green-investors/)

• ASIC continues action on misleading claims to deter greenwashing misconduct(https://www.asic.gov.au/about-asic/news-centre/find-a-media-release/2024-releases/24-185mr-asic-continues-action-on-misleading-claims-to-deter-greenwashing-misconduct/)

• Greenhushing: What is it, and why do companies do it? (https://lens.monash.edu/@cop/2024/10/29/1387058/greenhushing-what-is-it-and-why-do-companies-do-it)

Good News Stories:

https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/land-use-biodiversity/french-senate-backs-law-curb-ultra-fast-fashion-2025-06-10/

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-24/australian-designer-takes-paper-clothing-to-catwalk/105319424