170: The Politics of Greenwashing - John Pabon

Greenwashing is a term most of us have come to learn because it’s become part of the modern vernacular. Also known as green sheen, it is the false or overstated claims to deceive stakeholders into believing a company’s products or services are environmentally safer or sustainable when they may not be. Companies are responding to a world in climate change stress and consumers who want to do their bit to save the planet or at the very least not make it less inhabitable! Floods, fires and famines raging across the planet are nobody’s idea of a sustainable future.

My guest today is John Pabon, who has spent two decades in the business of saving our Earth. After leaving his role at the United Nations, John travelled the world studying the impacts of sustainability first-hand in factories, on fields, and at Fortune 500s.  His mission is to move sustainability from theory to practical strategies that help people and businesses confidentially make real impact.

Over his 20-year career, he’s had the privilege of working with the United Nations, McKinsey, A.C. Nielsen, and as a consultant with BSR, the world’s largest sustainability-focused business network. He is the founder of Fulcrum Strategic Advisors, Programme Director for The Conference Board’s Asia Sustainability Leaders Council, and serves on the board of advisors to the U.S. Green Chamber of Commerce.

John is also the author of “Sustainability for the Rest of Us: Your No-Bullshit, Five-Point Plan for Saving the Planet.” His upcoming book, “The Great Greenwashing,” will be out in June 2023.

1. How do you define greenwashing and how does it define an organisation in your view?

2. What does sustainability at its best and worst look like to you.

3. How can this desire to “be good and look good” in a greener way be done more ethically and competitively?

4. How can we all become more educated to understand greenwashing BS and not be swayed by things like “carbon offsets” and “replacing energy, from coal to say hydrogen, over the next 10 years” as the accepted metrics? Would a universal star rating system like we see on Australian whitegoods and appliances be helpful for everyday goods like food we eat or clothes we buy?

5. What future trends do you see as likely to become sustainable practices for everyday people and businesses in the next few years that we are not yet across?

6. Takeaway: What is your final takeaway message for us on The Politics of Greenwashing?

CONTACT INFO:

LinkedIn: (6) John Pabon (亚伯拉罕) | LinkedIn

Web: John Pabon | Sustainability Author and Speaker | Melbourne

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