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FEATURED GREENWASHERS
February 2006
Nestle
February's Greenwasher of the Month is the world's largest food conglomerate and the world's most boycotted company: Nestle. While much has already been said about the company's agressive markeing of baby formula in less developed countries which inspired the longest-running boycott in history, we are calling Nestle out on a new offense: tarnishing the fair trade label.
Nestle introduced their "Partner's Blend" instant coffee that bears the fair trade label. This accounts for .01 percent of Nestle's coffee imports, and with the remaining 99.9 percent, Nestle continues to use their large market share to keep small coffee farmers in poverty, while reaping huge profits.
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December 2005
Kimberly-Clark
With a global market share of 13.8 percent, and sales of $15.1 billion in 2004, Kimberly-Clark (K-C) sits comfortably atop the tissue industry. The Texas-based conglomerate owns popular consumer brands such as Scott, Huggies, Cottonelle and, Kleenex. Despite its environmental-sounding claims, the ubiquitous facial tissue contains zero recycled content. In fact, much of the paper harvested to make Kleenex comes from North America’s largest remaining tract of ancient forest: the Boreal.
The Boreal forest spans Canada’s Alaskan border to its eastern coast, and has done so since the last ice-age. Despite misleading claims in it's company's sustainability report, Kimberly-Clark gets as much as 30 percent of its forest fiber from the Boreal. more>>
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November 2005 
The American Chemistry Council
From the producers of CHEERS – the Children's Environmental Exposure Research Study – comes a public relations initative from the American Chemistry Council (ACC), a chemical industry lobbying group.
The essential2 campaign will pepper print, television and online media for the next two years – a “360 communications effort” according to marketing executive David Fowler, highlighting how “the American chemistry industry is essential to safety, health, innovation, the economy and the environment.” more>>
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October 2005 
CHEVRON
September’s Greenwasher of the Month
is Chevron, for its new advertising campaign, “Will
You Join Us?” Appearing in publications,
television markets and airports worldwide,
the campaign encourages people to go to willyoujoinus.com,
a Chevron website that will “periodically
explore a new issue,” allowing visitors
to post their own perspective on a message
board.
Like fellow greenwashers Shell (“Tell
Shell”) and BP (“BP on the Street),
Chevron has created a go-nowhere dialogue moderated
carefully by the company. But what’s
worse, Chevron uses the campaign to subtly
spin a new reason greenhouse-gas emissions:
peak oil.More >
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JULY 2005
THE LIE OF THE TIGER
 “Energy and the environment,” reads the bold headline of a recent ExxonMobil advertisement appearing in national newspapers and magazines: “On one hand, the world demands more and more energy. On the other, it demands less and less environmental impact…. That’s why, for decades, we have consistently led the industry in research and technology. And why we’re now making the largest investment ever in independent climate and energy research.” More >
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NOVEMBER 2004
THE ENERGY INDUSTRY'S ETHICIST
 On November 11th, 60 high school students from California ’s Contra Costa County gathered at a ChevronTexaco office building in the town of Concord to take part in Ethics Day 2004. Employees of America ’s second-largest oil producer were among the 35 local business leaders on hand to talk with “the executives of tomorrow,” as the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce’s Donna Bradshaw called the students, about personal and professional moral dilemmas they will face in the future. More >
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OCTOBER 2004
A "DEEP" GREENWASHER DEFEATED
 The Colorado Secretary of State decided to dismiss a complaint alleging that Citizens for Sensible Energy Choices (CSEC), a group opposed to renewable energy mandates in Colorado , failed to report non-monetary contributions received from Xcel Energy, the nation’s fourth-largest electricity and natural gas utility. The “in-kind” gifts in question included the services of Xcel employee Michelle Stermer, office space in Xcel’s corporate headquarters, and the use of Xcel’s office equipment. More >
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SEPTEMBER 2004
FIGHTING GLOBAL WARMING, ONE POORLY ILLUMINATED CANDY BAR AT A TIME
 On September 23rd, the Business Roundtable, an association of 150 CEOs whose corporations employ 10 million Americans and produce $4 trillion in annual revenues, purchased ads in the Washington Post and Roll Call touting 70 percent member participation in its Climate RESOLVE program. Against a background featuring a tight V-formation of geese crossing a sparsely clouded blue sky, the ads read, “When America’s businesses all work together, it’s amazing what we can accomplish.” More >
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AUGUST 2004
SUSTAINABLE SLOPES MAKES DOPES OF 'GREEN' SKIERS
 The Sustainable Slopes Program (SSP) began auspiciously. Launched in 2000, the SSP was developed as the environmental program of the ski industry by the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA), a trade group, using broad input from ski companies, government agencies, environmental nonprofits and other stakeholders. More >
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JULY 2004
'EFFICIENT' NOT THE SAME AS EFFECTIVE
 According to CropLife America, “Use of pesticides protects endangered species.” It's only natural, then, that the pesticide industry lobbying group would welcome new rules, issued July 29, weakening pesticide regulations related to the Endangered Species Act. More >
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MAY 2004
THE GREENWASHING OF THE BLUE OVAL
 The Green Life's Greenwasher of the Month is Ford Motor Company, for glossing over its fleet-wide fuel efficiency problems with ads and publicity for its new Escape Hybrid and "green" manufacturing facility, making pledges about future environmental research that conflict with its opposition to long-term fuel efficiency targets, and sponsoring a "conscious commerce" conference to affix its logo to the vision of sustainable business. More >
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