By Jane Han
Staff Reporter
Toyota bloomed with an angelic, eco-friendly image with its hybrid Prius, however, on the flip side, it simultaneously rolls out one of the market's biggest gas-guzzling SUVs. Hypocritical? Not surprising, say environmentalists, as they label these growing numbers of all-show-no-change corporations as ``greenwashers.''
A pejorative term derived from ``whitewashing,'' the word was first coined in the early 1990s to define corporate actions that paint themselves environmentally responsible to mask their wrongdoings.
These firms _ led by car makers and energy companies _ generally use more money and time playing up their green image, rather than actually spending on the eco-friendly practice.
And among the pack, the world's largest and most profitable auto manufacturer, Toyota, has recently been under an unwanted spotlight for opposing a new U.S. senate legislation that requires strict new fuel efficiency standards.
The maker that has freshly beat out GM as the world's top seller this year has reportedly been hit with thousands of e-mails protesting against its backward move, but it goes on the defense claiming, `` It's not easy being green.''
Observers have been guessing that the company _ already branded as the greenest car maker _ wants to decelerate inventing energy efficient vehicles, which it already tops, while keeping mileage room to sell giant pickup trucks, like the Tundra.
Despite all the environment-caring fuss, it's, still, all about the business, experts say.
Corporate goliath GE's company-wide ``Ecomagination'' initiative, which develops high-efficiency incandescent light bulbs, has also been under criticism, as environmentalists argue that GE should cut incandescent bulb production altogether and focus on fluorescent bulbs instead.
Another major greenwasher, GM, has been noted as an award-winning deceiver for depicting an SUV on a melting polar ice, happily co-existing with artic species, which ironically, are what the car is killing through carbon emissions.
``A lot of companies are taking small steps toward environmental sustainability and their marketing departments are turning them into huge steps,'' Lloyd Alter, a Toronto-based sustainable architect and developer who writes for the environmental blog Treehugger.
Locally, S-Oil, the country's third-biggest oil refiner, was scrutinized for campaigning,
``Nature is delighted when you pump S-Oil.'' Now, the company is attempting to reinvent its image as one close to nature by using the colors yellow and green.
Samsung's SilverCare Washing Machine also caught environmentalists' attention for the validity of its true eco-friendly measures.
Although the washer hypes up its use of silver ions to disinfect clothing by using cold water, which consumes less energy, activists have questioned whether it is a genuine tree-hugger.
``Silver ore has to be mined, and extracting silver and subsequently melting it down to make metallic silver is extremely energy intensive, so how much is really being saved in the long run?'' said a July article in a publication of the National Geographic.
British Petroleum, Coca-Cola Company and Starbucks are among the other frequently mentioned greenwashers that are being closely watched by eco-warriors worldwide.
As ``going green'' shot up as the marketing world's current buzzword, experts warn consumers to be wary of greenwashers who may be using advertising tricks to win the hearts of true caregivers of nature.