HOW GREEN IS GREEN?

THE PHENOMENON OF GREENWASHING INVOLVES DELIBERATELY FALSIFYING INFORMATION ABOUT THE GREEN CREDENTIALS OF A PRODUCT, SERVICE OR COMPANY. WHAT CAN TRAVELLERS, THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY AND TOUR OPERATORS DO TO FLUSH IT OUT?

- EISHA GUPTA

SUSTAINABLE TOURISM IS having a moment. According to a 2023 survey called "Sustainable Travel Survey" by the Outlook Group and Toluna, 63 percent of respondents said they had become more aware of "sustainable tourism" in the past ten years. When asked to choose between an eco-friendly vacation or leisure travel versus a regular one, 66 percent opted for the former, and a whopping 88 percent of them were ready to pay a premium for that trip.

But riding on the coattails of the green movement across the tourism, energy and retail sectors is an insidious phenomenon that undermines the painstaking progress made: greenwashing.

It's the act of falsely claiming that a product, service or policy is beneficial to the planet and that it minimises harm to ecosystems and local communities. This masks their businessas-usual approach and can make consumers lose confidence in tackling climate action when such lies are exposed.

In the tourism sector, greenwashing can be observed when hotel chains claim they are operating sustainably by asking guests to have their linens washed every two-three days or requesting they turn off air conditioning units when they leave the room-which only saves on their electricity bills rather than actually helping the planet; tour operators who supposedly rescue wild animals like elephants but offer people to ride them or make them do tricks; or so-called ecolodges that are built near sensitive sites like ancient caves or grounds important to indigenous peoples.