In Canada, greenwashing is increasingly coming under legal scrutiny—and sometimes entails heavy legal penalties to boot. In 2022, for example, Keurig Canada Inc. came under fire for misleading claims around the recyclability of its single-use coffee pods. Ultimately, the company’s settlement agreement with Canada’s Competition Bureau included a $3-million penalty and an $800,000 donation to a Canadian environmental charity. What does this mean for event professionals? In short, there’s a corresponding onus in our industry to identify and sidestep industry greenwashing as well. So what might greenwashing look like in today’s event context? Danelle Martin, event designer with Toronto’s Ministry of Detail Events and a member of the advisory board of The Sustainable Events Forum, relays one example. Attending a recent event by a company touting its sustainability efforts, Martin noted that all meals included bamboo plates and cutlery. Compared to single-use plastics, bamboo production has less environmental impact and it’s compostable too—so bamboo here lent an air of sustainability. Yet, Martin says, rather than being diverted to compost, all that bamboo went in the trash. “We’ve switched out plastic for bamboo, fine. But it’s all ending up in the waste, so we’re still creating this giant mound of waste!” Many industry observers, Martin included, say it’s hard to say whether incidents like this are deliberate greenwashing or tied to plain old misinformation. Either way, though, for planners trying to avoid greenwashing with their own events, experts say some simple homework can really help: START AT THE RFP STAGE When planning and evaluating partners, don’t simply take marketing claims at face value, says Martin. “Really dive into it. There are questions you can ask in the RFP stage when you’re sourcing and trying to figure out if a venue is the right fit for your needs.” For example, when you do a site inspection, look at waste sorting, how the venue handles things like food recovery and food waste and also certifications. “Has anyone actually certified the things they’ve said or are they just claiming it?” CONSULT COLLEAGUES Martin also advises talking to fellow planners who’ve used a particular vendor or venue. “How were the experiences? Are they actually doing what they’re claiming?” LOOK INTO CERTIFICATIONS Kelly Power, an executive vice-president with Proof Experiences in Toronto, says another good step is to ask potential suppliers, “Do you have any eco-friendly → Earth First S U S TA I N A B L E E V E N T S O L U T I O N S Shades of Green How event professionals can avoid greenwashing by Connie Jeske Crane A CANADIAN DEFINITION: “…if you portray your products and services as having more environmental benefits than they truly have, you may be green- washing, which could be illegal. Businesses should avoid vague claims such as ‘eco-friendly’ or ‘safe for the environment,’ which can lead to multiple inter- pretations, misunderstand- ing and deception.” – Competition Bureau Canada Summer 2024 | Ignitemag.ca | 15
