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What Is Greenwashing, and Why Is It A Problem In Food? Wen-Jay Ying from Local Roots explains - YouTube
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if you've ever been curious in greenwashing聽
what it is and why it's a problem then i think聽聽
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you're going to enjoy today's conversation on聽
growing places we're talking with wenjae ying聽聽
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who's the founder and ceo of local roots聽
welcome to the channel wenjae hi guys
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whenever someone brings me green washing in聽
my mind i'm like green washing i hate it so聽聽
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much so green washing is when companies use聽
eco-friendly terms like all-natural local and聽聽
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fresh um to market a product you see it聽
everywhere it's not even just words it聽聽
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can be packaging right so you could buy a聽
bag of chips from lay's and it's in like a聽聽
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corn based bag so it feels more eco-friendly or聽
people might use a crafts color packaging to make聽聽
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it seem like they're more eco-friendly so it's聽
not just in the words it's also the packaging聽聽
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the reason why i hate it is it's just deceiving聽
people that are trying to make the right decision聽聽
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you know like you're taking a grassroots聽
movement which is the organic movement聽聽
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and you're co-opting it and abusing it and using聽
it for your own good it's usually but not always聽聽
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done by these large companies um so i have a bone聽
to pick with them yeah to me it's really tragic聽聽
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where a customer might think that they're doing聽
the right thing for the earth and for their body聽聽
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and in reality they're still buying your product聽
that's bad and it's affecting their health long聽聽
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term it's going to affect the health of the the聽
earth long term but just the way the food industry聽聽
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is set up it's set up to confuse the customer聽
it's super super confusing to decipher what聽聽
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any of these words mean and people also probably聽
don't realize that a lot of these words are not聽聽
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even regulated you know the words are the words聽
local fresh all natural even like cage free it's聽聽
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like there's not really regulations around these聽
words so they can use companies can say whatever聽聽
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they want to say for some some of these green聽
washing terms and the customer will never know聽聽
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i just wanted to give a couple more examples of聽
what green washing is because it's not just the聽聽
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words all natural local you might think that聽
when you're buying something that says like聽聽
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grass-fed beef that that's the best kind of聽
beef you should be buying but every cow eats聽聽
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grass for some part of their life so that is聽
a very confusing term that could be the worst聽聽
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kind of beef at the supermarket you want to find聽
something that says 100 grass-fed or grass-fed聽聽
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grass finish the same goes with eggs there's聽
still much green wash around eggs you know like聽聽
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you might see a picture of a hen with a window on聽
the carton and think oh my god they have access to聽聽
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the outside and they can roam free or if you see聽
cage free free range what do those even mean they聽聽
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really don't mean anything cage free means you聽
have one square foot not you a chicken has one聽聽
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square foot to live in and they might be able聽
to look at a window that goes outside but they聽聽
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can't go outside but most consumers probably聽
think oh these are good options to buy but聽聽
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you want to find something that's pasteurized聽
the word pasture raiso isn't really defined by聽聽
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or isn't really regulated so you have to really聽
ask the farmer about their practices green washing聽聽
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is everywhere even at the farmers market not all聽
the farmers are organic there right but you think聽聽
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when you go to the farmer's market everything's聽
organic so i would just really suggest people聽聽
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if you if you want to be confident in your聽
food choices really just ask a lot of questions聽聽
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do you think that at the very least it's a聽
positive that businesses are even recognizing聽聽
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that green or eco-friendly um is a way to sell聽
things i mean if i was to try and you know find聽聽
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the the one positive in all this it's that聽
the fact that greenwashing exists means that聽聽
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consumers are starting to care more about this you聽
know like 20 30 years ago promoting sustainability聽聽
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or eco-friendliness probably wasn't ever聽
going to be a successful way to sell a product聽聽
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so the fact that greenwashing exists now at least聽
tells us that um kind of consumer appetites are聽聽
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changing and that businesses realize that hey聽
this is a way to resonate with with customers聽聽
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um do you think that is a fair statement i know聽
that you think it's a fair statement um i i see聽聽
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your point i think it's great that people the聽
customers care about organic but i don't really聽聽
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think it's a good thing because for example if聽
a company can sell a product under greenwashing聽聽
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they can sell it for cheaper which means that聽
the companies who are really doing a good job聽聽
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the farmers who are truly doing the work it might聽
even be harder for them to sell something because聽聽
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their product is going to cost a set amount if聽
you're going to let your chickens run free and聽聽
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have organic feed for them and forage that's gonna聽
be a lot more expensive than a cage-free chicken聽聽
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that doesn't run free and it's just being fed [聽
__ ] you're never going to meet the price point聽聽
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of something that is green washed and sold at a聽
lower price point and it truly just confuses the聽聽
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customer like they're going to go for the product聽
that can be marketed better that's packaged better聽聽
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a lot of farmers don't put money into marketing聽
like i think a consumer is just naturally going to聽聽
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you know be attracted to your product聽
that can that looks like the real thing聽聽
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so i think there's just so many challenges in聽
that and it also just takes away the meaning of聽聽
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the importance of organic also and what聽
farmers had tried so hard to fight for聽聽
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when they made the organic certification is聽
just being lost which is why we really push for聽聽
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a regenerative agriculture and how why people聽
are trying to make that a certified label but聽聽
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eventually that's also going to be co-opted in聽
green washed so then we're about to find another聽聽
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thing that feels more valid and honest so it's聽
constantly going to be like this battle of having聽聽
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something that can be true to the consumer聽
and nobody's trying to be one step ahead of聽聽
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big ag but yeah i think it's challenging i think聽
customers will always eventually even if there聽聽
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wasn't greenwashing i truly think that customers聽
have always and will always become a little more聽聽
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a little more interested in the whole organic聽
food movement and we wouldn't need proof of聽聽
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that interest from companies trying to green wash聽
right it was already happening it's not like them聽聽
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green washing things has helped the movement i聽
mean maybe it has but it was already happening聽聽
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maybe a little slower but it was happening i think聽
with technology and the ways that businesses have聽聽
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evolved and the ways that farms have evolved聽
and the fact that there's more young farmers聽聽
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i truly think we would have all found a better way聽
to truthfully advertise and market and get their聽聽
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products in front of more customers in an honest聽
way and been able to grow the organic movement聽聽
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that way than having to have big companies green聽
wash products thank you so much for joining us聽聽
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today wenge it's been great to have you on the聽
channel folks you've been listening to growing聽聽
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places which is our series here at urban leaf聽
where we explore the stories of the entrepreneurs聽聽
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and innovators who are changing the way we eat if聽
that sounds interesting to you make sure you give聽聽
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this video a like subscribe to the channel hit聽
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