Brands Prep for Earth Day with Campaigns and Commitments

Earth Day is this Thursday, and brands are doing all sorts of things to try to convince us they care about the environment.

Like what? Procter & Gamble recently released a campaign showing a young girl helping her parents make more sustainable choices. The ad plugs the company’s commitment to becoming carbon neutral this decade. Plus, soy milk brand Silk is offering counseling sessions to help people overcome their “eco-anxiety,” and Carl’s Jr. is giving away free plant-based burgers at one of its Los Angeles locations.

But ads and one-off stunts only do so much—and most companies have a long way to go when it comes to operating sustainably.

• Take Procter & Gamble. In October, its shareholders called on the brand to “do more to protect forests,” according to the Financial Times.
• An organization called Break Free From Plastic named the CPG giant a “top plastic polluter” last year, along with PepsiCo, Unilever, and others.

Our takeaway: People will accuse brands of greenwashing if their messaging doesn’t line up with what’s going on behind the scenes. As Rootstrap’s Director of Marketing Patrick Ward told Ad Age last year, “Companies are desperate to prove they are eco-friendly, but it often rings hollow to consumers.” — MS