The Colour of a Promise: Greenwashing Reading Analysis

Vocabulary flashcards covering the key terms, phrases, and concepts from the reading passage 'The Colour of a Promise' on greenwashing and environmental responsibility.

Greenwashing

A practice that allows a purchase to borrow the language of care through selective truths and superficial environmental claims while obscuring larger harmful impacts.

Borrow the language of care

To sound environmentally responsible and compassionate on product labels without demonstrating or proving genuine care.

Selection of truth

A marketing tactic where a company highlights minor positive environmental details, such as one reusable part or renewable energy in a single office, to hide broader negative practices.

Real sustainability work

Genuine environmental conservation that demands patient measurement and less glamorous resource choices, often overshadowed by flashy promotional language.

Bad faith

An intentional desire to mislead or deceive, distinguished in the text from well-intentioned companies making weak claims while still learning.

Social cost (of greenwashing)

The widespread damage caused when eco-conscious consumers lose trust in environmental claims and authentic conservation efforts are forced to compete with smooth marketing.

Relief from guilt

A comforting psychological benefit sold to consumers by superficial green marketing, allowing high consumption to continue without questioning systemic overproduction.

Green promise

An environmental pledge or label that, in the absence of solid evidence, fails to clean up environmental damage and merely makes pollution easier for consumers to carry.