Greenwashing Consumption

The Didactic Framing of ExxonMobil's Energy Solutions

Bibliographic Data

ID7428136
AuthorsEmily Plec (0000-0003-1445-126X), Mary E Pettenger
Year2012
Volume6
Issue4
Pages459-476
Publication date2012-10-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueEnvironmental Communication (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1752-4032 • E-ISSN: 1752-4040
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/17524032.2012.720270
OpenAlexW2017672979
LanguageEN
Citations received44
References cited23

Corporate advertising campaigns increasingly use environmental frames to promote their products and processes, many of which are neither sustainable nor environmentally friendly. This study examines ExxonMobil's recent efforts at green advertising, focusing specifically on their widely aired "Energy Solutions" television advertisements. We argue that ExxonMobil's use of a didactic, greenwashed frame stifles criticism and discourages examination of ideologies of consumption by exploiting the ethos of the scientist and highlighting technological solutions to problems that are deeply tied to a culture of consumerism. The definition of green energy is controlled by those with the power to generate persuasive public messages about the sources and production of energy. Counterframes, however, can be employed to turn a questioning eye upon the solutions advanced by ExxonMobil. We issue a call for green frames that help citizens and consumers critically examine the ecological integrity of all means of energy production, and that call attention to the ways in which the greenwashing of research and development initiatives can dissuade necessary action, including reduction of US energy consumption

Consumerism · Ethos · Framing (construction · Greenwashing · Climate Change Communication and Perception · Media Studies and Communication · Rhetoric and Communication Studies

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