Shades of Green. Greenwashing in the Tourism Industry

7 
In the first decade of the twenty-first century, the idea of green 
economy became increasingly prominent. This emerging concept 
produces new environmental and social challenges for the world but 
creates also new opportunities. Traditionally when we talk about 
economic and environmental issues we think of these as opposites, but 
this idea is challenged from a new modern perspective. Environmental 
problems are increasingly seen today as opportunities for innovation, 
that spur to new products, processes, markets, and business models. 
Driven by a variety of factors like competition, activist pressures, 
customer demands and public expectations, more and more companies, 
are taking the opportunity to create new business value by improving 
their operations and reputation through new economic models. One 
such model is referred to as Green Economy.  
The Green Economy is based on the need to slow down a wrong 
economic model conceived in opposition to nature, supporting a new 
symbiotic and integrated approach respectful of the environment
1
. 
Every human action has an environmental impact and awareness of 
this, helps the protection of the environment and promotes an 
economic development respectful of the limits of nature. 
The Green Economy approach is, needless to say, supported first of all 
by green marketing strategies. More and more companies leave their 
old marketing methodologies for the Green Marketing, a new plan of 
action that aims to achieve at the same time profits and the 
preservation of the planet. Thanks to the Green Marketing, companies 
can reorganize their whole business structure and processes in an 
environmentally friendly manner, while at the same time consumers 
are able to change their style of consumption.  
                                                 
1
 Rio+20 - United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, June 2012