The industry has heard a lot about "greenwashing," which refers to subtle and sometimes overtly misleading statements about the environmentally friendly qualities of a product. However, a study of approximately 100 leading American business executives suggests new terminology may be in order: the Green Gap.

According to Robbin Goodman, a partner with New York-based Makovsky + Company, a public relations and consulting firm, although 80 percent of those surveyed personally believe global warming is real and poses "a grave problem, as a group they are not driving their organizations to fully act on these convictions."

In other words, says Goodman, the business leaders are "talking the talk" but not necessarily "walking the talk."

Among the "talking the talk" findings, the majority of the executives believe that pro-environmental policies:
• Improve corporate reputations (75 percent)
• Make businesses more competitive (73 percent)
• Strengthen sales and returns on investment (67 percent)
• Improve employee recruitment and retention (58 percent)

However, the Green Gap is evident in the following areas:
• Sixty percent of the executives say the costs to implement green initiatives and operations are an obstacle.
• Nearly half say their company "has more important business priorities" than implementing green programs.
• Fifty percent believe governments are most responsible for global warming and climate change.

Thoughts and Perspective
Stephen Ashkin, president of The Ashkin Group and founder and executive director of the Green Cleaning Network, believes that current economic issues will cause some businesses to delay green initiatives, especially those with high initial costs, regardless of the payback period.

"Yet, that still may be turned into 'walking the talk' by transferring to green cleaning and other environmentally preferable practices that are cost neutral," he says.

Additionally, Ashkin believes, the executives may not realize that the added costs to go green have come down significantly and, in some situations, may no longer even be relevant. "The survey tells me these executives just need a little more time and education," he concludes.