Governance & Policy
Purpose-Washing
Adopting the language of social or environmental purpose without changing underlying business conduct — a cousin of greenwashing.
Definition
Purpose-washing is the practice of publicly espousing a social or environmental purpose — in mission statements, campaigns and branding — while core business practices, incentives or products remain unchanged or contradictory. Coined by analogy with greenwashing, it describes the gap between declared purpose and operational reality: purpose as marketing veneer rather than governing principle.
Overview
The overview for this term is being prepared.
Review
Help keep this definition useful and accurate.
Submitted reviews stay private until an editor decides whether to accept and attribute them.
Contribute to this entry
How would you like to contribute?
Every endorsement and suggested edit is checked by an editor before anything changes publicly.