ECO-FRIENDLY LANGUAGE, SUSTAINABILITY CLAIMS, AND GREENWASHING: A QUALITATIVE DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF CONSUMER BRAND COMMUNICATION

Abstract

Environmentally oriented communication has gained significance in modern-day English linguistics owing to the fact that language is not only used to describe ecological phenomenon but it is also used to construct our understanding, interpretation, evaluation, and response to the said phenomenon. Recent global preoccupation with climate change, pollution, plastic waste, resource depletion, and sustainable development has resulted in the development of a new set of language for responsibility, ethical consumption, ecological legitimacy, and corporate accountability. The development in this regard is also evident in Pakistan through its manifestation in consumer communication in which language like "natural," "pure," "green," "eco-friendly," "recyclable," and "sustainable" is now commonly used in the marketing of products through product packaging, social media advertisements, housing development promotions, and online brand management. However, an increased focus on ecological vocabulary has led to the emergence of criticism of greenwashing.

This study will focus on the use of eco-friendly language, sustainability rhetoric, and greenwashing in the discourse of Pakistani consumer brands. The study is located in the field of English linguistics and explores the construction of environmental discourse through the use of

certain linguistic expressions. In the study, an empirical qualitative design will be employed based on the critical discourse analysis theory proposed by Fairclough, combined with the five types of greenwashing categories identified by Carlson: weak claim, false claim, omission or elision, misleading visuals, and trade-off concealment.

The study asserts that environmental significance is often created via lexical condensation, evaluation, symbolic ecological connection, and evidence selection. Most sustainability statements use general terms that allow for favourable meaning because of the semantically open nature of the terms used without specifying any significant environmental issues. The use of such language may not always be an indication of dishonesty. Nevertheless, it could provide conditions where ecology means more than what is said.