Greenwashing is a term I’ve grown quite familiar with over the years. The consistent marking of “organic cotton” furniture and the fight against “processed goods” have left many thinking- how far will companies go to trick us into thinking that buying their product is good for us? How far will a company go to present themselves as the good in the storm? It should be common knowledge that hyper consumerism is not healthy, but that doesn’t stop everyone and their mother from buying into it. The idea is plain and simple: some corporations are feeding us ideas that aren’t true at the most ridiculous prices. A great example is Amazon, which recently began advertising to their Prime members a shipping option that really stuck with me mentally: delayed, eco-friendly shipping. Prime is advertised with really one main idea- fast or 2-day delivery. But now the lucky, lucky customers of Amazon Prime are given the option to delay their shipping date in the name of eco-friendliness.

When I saw this and discussed this with my peers, I was met with ideas such as “Well, anything helps,” and “At least they’re doing something.” But no, I can’t help but read between the lines and see yet another “paper straw” advertisement in disguise. Because while Amazon makes billions of dollars a year, creating a system of fast-paced consumerism advertising everything from electronic hand warmers to mini compartments to hold your mini pens with mini keychains inside larger compartments, the guilt of the climate crisis is once again being pushed onto an already paying customer. At least with the paper straw craze, the paper straws were given to customers as they bought a drink at no extra cost besides becoming a soggy, useless piece of cardboard after 10 minutes. It is not that Amazon Prime has stopped advertising itself as a giver of speediness, it’s just that now customers have the option to pay for it and then… not receive it.

The push of guilt from the climate crisis onto the consumer cannot be understated in situations like this. Even companies like Shein, which is well known for their detrimental impact on the fast fashion world and the growing consumerism addiction, are advertising eco-friendly approaches through the “convenient” sacrifices of their customers. I do not think this is right. Companies that lead in plastic waste and emissions should not be able to advertise themselves as eco-friendly because their customers can choose friendlier options. Real change comes from action, not the idea or option of possible action.