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Greenwashing tobacco—attempts to eco-label a killer product

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Abstract

The European Union currently prohibits the use of eco-labelling on tobacco products. Although “Big Tobacco” has overtly embraced Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), it would be naïve not to view this move as anything other than an attempt to hide a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The history of deceit and malpractice that typifies the global tobacco industry speaks for itself. Cigarettes are not simply another product. Tobacco-related illness kills one in two of its users. The global death toll from tobacco will soon be eight million annually. In light of these practitioners in the fields of life cycle assessment (LCA) and social life cycle assessment (S-LCA) should not cooperate with moves to “greenwash” this deadly product.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Social Science, Limerick Institute of Technology, Limerick, Ireland

    Frank Houghton

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland

    Sharon Houghton

  3. Graduate Entry Medical School (GEMS), University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland

    Diane O’Doherty

  4. Department of Business, Limerick Institute of Technology, Limerick, Ireland

    Derek McInerney

  5. Public Health Unit, Hauora Tairawhiti, 110 Peel Street, Gisborne, 4010, New Zealand

    Bruce Duncan

Authors
  1. Frank Houghton
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  2. Sharon Houghton
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  3. Diane O’Doherty
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  4. Derek McInerney
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  5. Bruce Duncan
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Frank Houghton.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Houghton, F., Houghton, S., O’Doherty, D. et al. Greenwashing tobacco—attempts to eco-label a killer product. J Environ Stud Sci 9, 82–85 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13412-018-0528-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13412-018-0528-z

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