PASAY CITY — Journalists urged on Wednesday, to carefully check companies’ claims about their environmental programs to avoid reporting greenwashing, experts said.
Speaking at the Net Zero Media Academy in Pasay City, Ludwig Federigan, columnist of the Manila Times, said greenwashing occurs when companies make themselves appear more environmentally responsible than their actions or results indicate.
During a discussion on Greenwashing and Climate Reporting, Federigan reminded journalists to check whether data and actual results support companies’ environmental claims.
“Reporters should know the difference between a company setting an emissions target and actually reducing its emissions,” Federigan said.
The sustainability advocate cited tree-planting programs as an example. He said journalists should check how many trees survive after a year and whether the project actually helps remove carbon from the atmosphere.
Mark Lister, chief executive officer of the Southeast Asia Decarbonization Exchange, said journalists should also question the idea that protecting the environment is always more expensive than traditional development.
“Renewable energy sources such as solar power have become cheaper and can be developed faster in many markets,” Lister said.
He also warned against relying too much on carbon offsets. He said companies should first reduce emissions from their operations before using carbon offsets for emissions they cannot yet eliminate.
“Journalists should check whether offset projects are legitimate,” Lister said. “They should look at how carbon reductions are measured, whether carbon credits are counted more than once, and whether tree-planting projects are expected to last.”
He added that reporters should also check whether the claimed carbon reductions would have happened even without the offset project and should determine what a company means when it claims to be “carbon neutral.”
Lister said the claim may apply only to a product, facility, or specific activity, rather than the company’s entire operations and supply chain.
He also urged journalists not to rely only on carbon-intensity figures. He said a company can report lower emissions per product while its total emissions continue to increase if it produces more goods.
“Reporters should therefore check a company’s total emissions, the baseline year used, the source of the reported reductions, and whether the improvements continue over time,” Lister said.
Federigan said sustainability reports can be useful starting points, especially for publicly listed and public-interest companies.
He, however, said journalists should compare these reports with financial statements, government records, regulatory filings, and other independent sources.
The speakers also noted that community journalists may have difficulty getting environmental information from large private companies.
For issues involving water use, airport development, and industrial pollution, Voltaire Tupaz, executive director and Co-founder of Fyt Media, said reporters may need to check company statements against information from local governments, environmental agencies, scientists, communities, and independent experts.
“When credible sources provide different figures, journalists should not simply report both numbers without checking them, the panel said.
Reporters should examine how the figures were measured, what definitions were used, the period covered, and the reliability of each source.
Federigan summarized the approach in four words: claim, boundary, evidence, and progress.
Journalists should identify what a company is claiming, determine what the claim covers, look for evidence, and check whether the company is making real progress over time.
Lister said environmental programs should also be part of a company’s core operations and decision-making, rather than simply serving as a public relations tool.
The speakers said newsrooms need stronger skills in data analysis, source verification, and environmental reporting as companies release more complex sustainability information and climate-related claims become more common online. (By Ivy Tejano)
