The Greenwash Effect

Going green is the new black for big business. But how real is the climate-friendly revolution that's being advertised?

Toyota reckons Mother Nature drives a Prius, Ford wants us to 'Join the Green Revolution', and McDonald's has painted its famous golden arches green. Facebook has even 'friended' Greenpeace.

But are big brands and the celebrities endorsing them really as green as they claim? In Greenwash, in the tradition of Fast Food Nation and No Logo, Guy Pearse looks behind the corporate façade — and what he finds will startle you.

Nothing is sacred and no one is safe from scrutiny in this exposé of carbon scams: not the Prius or the Nissan LEAF, not the World Wildlife Fund or Earth Hour, not Oprah or Leonardo DiCaprio. For consumers trying to shop the planet green, Greenwash is a wake-up call. It's also an entertaining and practical book that helps consumers to pick the truly green businesses from the greenwashers and to demand a higher environmental standard from all.

‘Guy Pearse travels the sewers of misinformation to show us exactly how, from banks to airlines, there's a growth industry in green horseshit. But, after hosing himself off, Pearse also presents us with a far more thoughtful analysis than I've read in other exposés of greenwashing.’ —Raj Patel, author of Stuffed and Starved and the New York Times bestseller The Value of Nothing

‘Before I read Greenwash I thought I could no longer be shocked by the skulduggery of the marketers. How wrong I was. Read Greenwash to be reminded why advertising is called the dark art and how marketing has become the most destructive force on the planet.’ —Clive Hamilton, author of Affluenza and Requiem for a Species

‘[Greenwash] contains some brilliant exposés of capital scamming the unwary consumer, giving them a green hoodwink while continuing opposite practices elsewhere.’ —Adelaide Review

‘Guy Pearse's welcome book reveals the difficulty of judging the benefits and real environmental costs of the way we live.’ —David Suzuki

‘If you want to know how to pick the true greenies from the fakers, this book is for you.’ —Green Lifestyle