Those in attendance at the last Outdoor Retailer Winter Market probably heard a lot of discussion about green, and it wasn’t all about the Benjamin’s. Buzz words like sustainability, compostable and cradle-to-grave were regularly bandied about by authorities and spin-meisters, alike. Many use terms interchangeably or incorrectly. Others wax green strictly for the marketing attention.
After a particular meeting with a large industrial chemical company, Inside Outdoor decided to parse the greenwash lexicon and take a stab at a short glossary of definitions. Being armed with the basics should help offset some of the disingenuous talking points designed to throw us all off the scent.
The definitions in the Glossary are as organic as the topics they address. They are more operative than definitive, with the underlying subtext being about a discourse that we hope will continue to evolve as our industry grapples with the “sustainability” of our businesses.
