The Greenwashing Gimmick!

Sustainability is the current trendy buzzword. It is used to make consumers feel that the product they are using is having a positive impact on the environment, lessening the guilt in using everyday products. However, is it possible to create truly green amenities for the airline market? Or are the airlines also guilty of ‘greenwashing’ their passengers?

First of all, what is greenwashing? Greenwashing is another marketing buzzword, dreamt up by the media industry. It encapsulates those products that are marketed to consumers as being ‘green’, or ‘ethically sustainable’, without having the scientific research to back it up. In fact, some of the products on

the market, such as biodegradable plastics, have been proven to cause more harm than good, but do passengers really care?

According to Matrix, ‘There is a growing interest in the transparency and the origin of products...
Taking into account recent consumer research, it is clear that passengers and consumers are increasingly guided by ethical and environmental considerations when making their travel and product choices.’

According to Kaelis, the impetus
for change can come from a variety
of places. ‘The changes are sometimes driven by passengers and/or airlines as seen in some Northern European airlines, but sometimes pushed by regulation
- but we are not quite there yet
for amenities.’ This is important,
as the only way the world is going
to see real change is if the pressure
is not on the consumer to have to make a choice. Airlines are governed by budgets and profit margins, and although their passengers are their bread and butter, they may be quicker to make a change as far reaching as