All lies

Many corporations are presenting themselves as leaders in environmental protection:
"A corporation leader in ozone destruction takes credit for being a leader in ozone protection. A giant oil transnational embraces the "precautionary approach" to global warming. A major agrochemical manufacturer sells pesticide so hazardous it has been banned in many countries while implying that it is helping to feed the hungry. A petrochemical firm uses the waste from one polluting process as raw material for another, and boast this is an important recycling initiative. A logging company cuts timber from a natural rain forest, replaces it with plantations of single exotic species, and calls the project "sustainable forest development"  Jed Greer and Kenny Bruno, "Greenwash: The reality behind corporate environmentalism."
Why would they do it? Because it is in right now and it does keep most people happy and quiet. We will hear about the self-regulation of the companies, about how we do not need any environmental policies because the corporations will just do it. People demand it so they will do it. Really? Lets look into one example. In order to comply with German regulation, the Polaroid Corporation needed to reduce a packaging for their new camera. The packaging reduction lead to change in the camera design to make it more durable thus enhancing its quality. Would have they done it without the pressure of the regulation? Maybe, most likely not. Companies now days are not interested in developing durable products. To keep the economy growing, they need people to buy new cameras ever so often. In the end, they did profit from the change because they could market it as environmental friendly product and this is what many people like to hear and see.
The bottom line is, we all are being greenwashed, big time. And the sad reality is, that we just do not care about it. It does make us feel better, like we have an influence on the way how the corporations do their business. All lies, nothing more.