Jaylie Holmes
Thompson Rivers University
Terryl Atkins
Winter 2024
Clorox is a corporation giant who is a “health and wellness company at heart”.1 They have been producing bleach since 1913 initially going by the name of Electro-Alkaline Company. They are associated with over forty brands such as Burts Bee’s, Brita, Glad, and their very own Greenworks. In recent years Clorox has made attempts to appear more “natural” and “green” by implementing different sustainable practices and environmentally friendly habits. Green Works being the face of this new movement. But is that the truth? Is Greenworks actually sustainable or is it simply a greenwash tactic?
Looking at Green Works advertisements you will find many similar to this one. The focal point is in the very center of the image, you see a Clorox Green Works detergent bottle sitting upright shrouded by a luscious forest. The foliage stretches far into the background casting a green hue over the ad. On the label of the bottle, a sunflower sits in the middle backed by a green leaf. The label also states the name “Green Works” in blue and green outlined text accompanied by the Clorox logo. Atop the advertisement you see a triangular arrangement of leaves that appear to be flourishing from the dish detergent. A gentle white light glows from inside the bottle. In the bottom third of the image, you see the simple word “Green.” in white lettering. The sub text claiming that the “dermatologist-tested dishwashing liquid is at least 97% naturally derived from biodegradable ingredients, with a formula that cuts through grease, and easily rinses for a natural, streak-free shine on all your dishes. Now that’s green.”
The image is trying to portray a heroic environmentally friendly product that’s “green.” Green in this scenario meaning eco conscious and sustainable. The white light glowing from inside the bottle alludes to this detergent being something of pure and valiant nature. This glow contrasts with the darker vignette around the border of the picture, suggesting that anything outside the product is impure and dirty. This plays into the erotic subconscious. The leaves sprouting from the top attempts to convey that the detergent itself is virtually made up of plant matter. We also have that bolded five letter word that says all we need to know about the ads intentions…they want us to think “green.”
The ad is quite vague. It does not provide much more information other than “Green” and being “at least 97% naturally derived from biodegradable ingredients”. Clorox does not state anywhere in the advert what these ingredients are or potentially contain. When in actuality, “several ingredients are synthetically produced, such as sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS), dyes, and a petrochemical preservative.”2 “Green” and “natural” are simply buzzwords used to manipulate certain demographics to believe that these products have environmentally healthy influences. This is a violation of the Canadian Advertising Standards Organization as it is not clear nor accurate.
The advertisement is quite effective in conveying its message. The colour green is used abundantly and directly. The glow coming from the bottle could even be described as God-like. The image has no need for manipulation, it truly states what it wants you to think. This would successfully coerce viewers to buy Green Works products. Specifically catering to audiences that are the primary caregivers in homes and those who are looking to be more environmentally conscious. After all, it is used in 17 million homes.2
The overall public opinion on Clorox appears to be quite mixed. “They passed testing by the Organic Consumers Association and were supported by the Sierra Club. 2 The company also states that “95 to 98 percent of its bleach breaks into salt and water and that the remaining byproduct is safe for sewer systems.”3 As well as buying out reputable and ecofriendly Burt’s Bees, for nearly one billion dollars3 Clorox truly seems to care about their environmental footprint. Mr. Replogle, Burt’s Bees CEO even says “Don’t judge Clorox as much by where they’ve been as much as where they intend to go,”3 Which overall, sounds trustworthy.
On the contrary, Research shows that while Green Works seems to be a fairly reputable brand it’s still overshadowed by its home brand, Clorox.”2 Clorox bleach contains phosphate which is not recommended as it puts the user at risk as well as having vastly negative effects on the environment.4 Unfortunately, Clorox cares more about profit than their environmental impacts. If Green Works are just as good as the original Clorox line in terms of effectivity, why not just transition to the more sustainable option entirely?2 Due to the costly adverse, that is the most likely reason.
Taking that into consideration, I think the best and most sustainable option would be to make your own cleaning products. You likely already have what’s required to do so. Not only is it more environmentally friendly it also strays from the capitalist ideology. Purchasing Green Works products is not required to make sustainable choices.2 However, as much as that is the ideal practice, UBC research students unfortunately found that homemade cleaners ranked last in preference when compared to alternative cleaning solutions, due to cleaning capability and preparation efforts.4
While Green Works may be a reputable brand overall, I still believe they are guilty of greenwashing as they are not telling the entirety of the truth. The company that preaches wellness and health may not be as clean as one would imagine. Is Clorox’s negative impacts on the environment outweighed by its positive ones? The answer is unclear and there are a multitude of controversial opinions on the topic. I personally would choose to make my own cleaning supplies or support smaller brands that are not run by a larger corporation. But what do you think? Does “green” really work?
Bibliography
1. “Clean World.” The Clorox Company. Accessed January 29, 2024. https://www.thecloroxcompany.com/responsibility/clean-world/.
2. Budinsky, Jennifer, and Susan Bryant. “‘It’s Not Easy Being Green’: The Greenwashing of Environmental Discourses in Advertising.” Canadian Journal of Communication 38, no. 2 (May 16, 2013): 213–16. https://doi.org/10.22230/cjc.2013v38n2a2628.
3. Story, Louise. “Can Burt’s Bees Turn Clorox Green?.” The New York Times 3 (2008).
4. Ellis, Naoko, Presley Jang, Segal Au, and Yang Li. “An Investigation into Sustainable Cleaning Products.” (2015).
5. Hull, McKenzie. “Clorox Going Green?.” Prologue: A First-Year Writing Journal 1, no. 1 (2009): 4.
Anika Peters
I found this critique very well done, the writer explained and dove into the ad in many ways that made my brain start to think. The description words for the ad being anything but impure and dirty elevated this analysis, the connections between objects in the ad and the potential meanings for said objects show how well this person understands the course content! This also made my brain start to make connections about other ads I’ve seen from this company as well.
The main point’s made in this entry is that Clorox runs multiple companies and never advertises the actual ingredients going into their products that could be harmful, this is a violation of the Canadian Advertising Standards Organization. The ad is successful in reaching its target audience by representing “green” in every aspect of their ad and most of the company’s ads follow along the same blueprints, and it shows that as it is a product in 17 million homes. Although reviews for it are quite mixed, In social media there are many reports that either defend or question Clorox’s efforts to go “green” by saying that you can’t judge the company for where it’s been but where it is going. But Green Works is overshadowed by their home brand Clorox, although the writer believed Green Works is a reputable brand, they are still guilty of greenwashing for not telling the entirety of the truth.
I found it hard at times to follow along with what point was being talked about and which company was being critiqued at times. The use of scholarly resources for this critique seems quite good and reliable, they have a good number of resources and report them back into the article many times. One thing I would’ve liked to see is more descriptive words when describing the ad, for example “from the left to right”. I think the writer hit every point that was mentioned in the assignment outline, overall this was a well-done analysis that educated me!