Have you ever heard the term "green washing?" It refers to the practice of companies that profit from promoting products that are not beneficial to the environment, but they make it seem as if they are. In 2022, 60% of executives in a Harris Poll survey said their company had engaged in green washing.

Types of green washing include only advertising some eco-friendly features of a product or using false environmental certification labels while hiding the negative impact that the product may have on nature. A common example of green washing are paper straws. In recent years, there has been an active movement to replace harmful plastic straws with paper straws. However, according to the U.S. Environmental Health Agency, paper straws emit more than 5.5 times as much carbon in their production as plastic straws. Moreover, used paper straws cannot be recycled.

As green washing becomes more prevalent, countries around the world are enacting laws to prevent it. France was the first country in the world to introduce a law that fines green washing. EU has established an "eco-label system" to provide consumers with reliable labels. South Korea also regulates green washing through the Environmental Technology and Environmental Industry Support Act.

In addition, there is also a system for the general public to participate. You can receive a reward for reporting ads suspected of green washing on the Green Product Information System. In order to protect nature, it is necessary for consumers to actively participate in preventing green washing.