An environmental task force supported by the United Nations may be doing more harm than good.
What's happening?
A group of non-governmental organizations voiced their concerns with the UN Environment Programme "over its support of the controversial Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD)," according to Friends of the Earth.
The organizations, including environmental groups the Global Forest Coalition and the Rainforest Action Network, filed a detailed complaint against the environment program.
Friends of the Earth summarized the complaint, which includes:
- Nearly half of the corporate groups represented on the TNFD have a history of "legal cases, ongoing complaints, exclusions by investors, persistent environmental violations or other controversies."
- The TNFD's "by corporations, for corporations" framework is a "back-door for corporations to write their own regulations."
- The TNFD has a lack of transparency and accessibility for organizations to provide genuine feedback.
Overall, the organizations believe the TNFD is greenwashing, a deceptive way for companies to appear environmentally friendly.
Why is the complaint important?
Greenwashing is when a company or organization is intentionally misleading about the environmental benefits of a product or the sustainability of its practices. Lululemon, for example, was accused of this when it promised consumers sustainability, pledging to have 75 percent of its products made of sustainable materials. In a proposed class-action lawsuit, the carbon emissions associated with the company were shown to have nearly doubled in two years, per Bloomberg.
Greenwashing preys on consumers who care about the environment, luring them into choosing a seemingly eco-friendly brand over another. Greenwashing can be hard to spot, but learning the signs can help you identify deceptive branding.
What's being done about the TNFD?
Hopefully, the complaint will bring attention to the areas of the TNFD that need serious improvement.
Climate campaigner and advisor of the Global Forest Coalition Souparna Lahiri said, per Friends of the Earth, "The commodification of nature is a root cause of biodiversity loss, which is why we are fighting for non-market solutions to this crisis. By co-founding and continuing to support the TNFD, [the UN Environment Programme] is empowering global corporations to further the commodification of nature which undermines the true solutions put forward by Indigenous Peoples, women and local communities."
Meanwhile, Shona Hawkes of the Rainforest Action Network also criticized the TNFD for billing itself as a "solution" for climate issues during the COP16 biodiversity summit while having untrustworthy corporations in its ear. "It is a dangerous distraction," Hawkes said.
In the meantime, the environmental organizations will continue to do their own conservation work. Friends of the Earth International, which is involved with the complaint, lists a ton of ways to take immediate action on their website.
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