How do companies make themselves look green?

The is how Aggregate Industries does it – as any visitor to aggregate.com/sustainability will see:

 

Of course, many companies face the same problem – what photo to put on your sustainability page, to make yourself look green? 

But what if your business is concrete – the most destructive material on earth? What to choose then? 

Aggregate Industries has chosen a photo of a green living wall. 

If only all buildings were made like this, you might think. Green walls: 

Remove air pollutants 

Reduce urban temperatures 

Reduce energy consumption 

Improve biodiversity 

Attenuate rain water 

Reduce noise 

etc, etc

What a wonderful company Aggregate Industries must be, you might think, to produce such a product. 

You might think that, because next to the photo the company writes "Our Sustainable products". 

Yet Aggregate Industries does not design, make or sell green walls. 

The photograph is greenwash. 

Aggregate Industries does not even operate in the same country as the photographed building.

The magical #livngwall of the Musee du quai Branly #Paris is a 200m long by 12m tall carpet of exotic #biodiversity which echoes the diversity of the artists who exhibit at the museum. #sustainability #architecture #sustainablearchitecture#greenwall  #greenroofs #verticalgarden pic.twitter.com/xEF6vTeCle

— SUSTAINABILITYBAE (@sustbae) October 7, 2021

Aggregate Industries' parent company – which also has form in this area – does however operate in Paris. It is not known for its green walls either – but is known for polluting the Seine.