Publication: Hibrit ve elektrikli otomobil reklamlarında yeşil aklamanın kullanımı üzerine bir inceleme
Abstract
Hibrit ve elektrikli otomobil reklamlarında yeşil aklamanın kullanımı üzerine bir inceleme Otomobil teknolojilerinde görülen değişimlerin nedenlerinden biri çevre kaygıları olmuş, karbon ayak izi bırakan petrol yakıtlara alternatif olarak elektrikli bataryalar tercih edilmeye başlanmıştır. Böylece daha az karbon emisyonunda bulunan elektrikli ve hibrit otomobil teknolojilerinde yaşanan ilerlemeler elektrikli ve hibrit otomobil reklamlarına da yansımıştır. Elektrikli ve hibrit otomobil reklamlarında çevreci mesajların verilmesi ile sürdürülebilirlik hassasiyeti olan tüketiciler bu reklamların hedef kitlelerini oluşturmuştur. Ancak reklamlarda görülen “sürdürülebilirlik”, “net sıfır emisyon”, “çevre dostu” gibi çevreci mesajların şeffaflık ve hesap verilebilirlikten yoksun olması, tüketicilerin şirketlerin sunduğu çözümlere şüpheyle yaklaşmasına ortam hazırlamıştır. Bu şüpheler elektrikli ve hibrit otomobillerin çevreye nasıl bir etkisi olduğunu gündeme getirmiş; yapılan incelemeler sonucu elektrikli bataryaların üretimi, saklanması, şarj dolumu, bertaraf edilmesi aşamalarında çevreye zarar verildiği tespit edilmiştir. Dolayısıyla elektrikli ve hibrit otomobil reklamlarında yeşil aklama tartışmaları ortaya çıkmıştır. Buradan hareketle çalışmada, yeşil aklamanın belirtileri olan “TerraChoice Yeşil Aklamanın Yedi Günahı” ekseninde elektrikli ve hibrit otomobil reklamlarında kullanılan günahların tespit edilmesi, sürdürülebilirlik ile ilgili kavramların incelenmesi, verilerin kıyaslanarak benzer ve farklı günahların ortaya çıkarılması amaçlanmıştır. Bu amaç doğrultusunda yargısal örnekleme yöntemi kullanılarak seçilen uluslararası 15 elektrikli otomobil reklam filmi, 15 hibrit otomobil reklam filmi içerik analizi ile incelenmiş; elektrikli otomobil reklamlarında en çok belirsizlik günahının, hibrit otomobil reklamlarında ise en çok gizli takas günahının kullanıldığı görülmüştür. Elektrikli otomobil reklamlarında karbon, emisyon, sürdürülebilir, dünya, sıfır kavramları üzerinden; hibrit otomobil reklamlarında ise emisyon, doğa, enerji, ihtiyaç kavramları üzerinden sürdürülebilirlik söylemleri verilmiştir. Elektrikli ve hibrit otomobil reklamlarında benzer günahlar kapsamında gizli takas, belirsizlik, kötünün iyisi, ilgisizlik günahlarına; farklı günahlar bağlamında da elektrikli otomobil reklamlarında sahte etiket günahına; hibrit otomobil reklamlarında ise kanıtsızlık günahına yer verildiği saptanmıştır. Bununla birlikte elektrikli ve hibrit otomobil reklamlarının, yeşil aklama literatüründe temel bir referans olarak kabul edilen “TerraChoice Yeşil Aklamanın Yedi Günahı” çerçevesinde incelenmesi, çalışmanın özgün değerini oluşturmaktadır.
A study on the use of greenwashing in hybrid and electric vehicle advertisements One of the driving forces behind the transformations observed in automotive technologies has been environmental concerns. As an alternative to petroleum-based fuels that leave a carbon footprint, electric batteries have increasingly been preferred. Consequently, the advancements in electric and hybrid vehicle technologies, which produce lower carbon emissions, have been reflected in the advertising of these vehicles. Through the inclusion of environmental messages in electric and hybrid vehicle advertisements, consumers who are sensitive to sustainability issues have been targeted as the primary audience. However, the environmental claims commonly featured in such advertisements - such as “sustainability,” “net zero emissions,” and “eco-friendly”- often lack transparency and accountability. This lack of clarity has led consumers to question the solutions offered by companies. These doubts have brought attention to the environmental impact of electric and hybrid vehicles. Studies have revealed that various stages of electric battery life cycles - including production, storage, charging, and disposal-can have harmful effects on the environment. As a result, discussions around greenwashing in electric and hybrid vehicle advertisements have gained prominence. Based on this, the study aims to identify the sins used in electric and hybrid car advertisements within the framework of “The Seven Sins of Greenwashing” defined by TerraChoice, which are indicators of greenwashing, to analyze the sustainability claims, and to reveal the common and differing sins through data comparison. For this purpose, a purposive sampling method was employed to select 15 international electric vehicle commercials and 15 hybrid vehicle commercials. These were analyzed through content analysis. The findings revealed that the most frequently observed greenwashing sin in electric vehicle advertisements was the sin of vagueness, while in hybrid vehicle advertisements most featured sin was the sin of the hidden trade-off. In electric vehicle ads, sustainability claims were mostly communicated through concepts such as carbon, emissions, sustainability, the earth, and zero. Whereas in hybrid vehicle ads, terms such as emissions, nature, energy, and needs were emphasized. Within the scope of common greenwashing sins, both types of advertisements included the sin of the hidden trade-off, sin of vagueness, sin of lesser of two evils, and sin of irrelevance. As for differing sins, electric vehicle ads were found to include the sin of false labels, whereas hybrid vehicle ads featured the sin of no proof. Importantly, this study's originality lies in its analysis of electric and hybrid vehicle advertisements within the conceptual framework of the TerraChoice “Seven Sins of Greenwashing” a foundational reference in the greenwashing literature.
A study on the use of greenwashing in hybrid and electric vehicle advertisements One of the driving forces behind the transformations observed in automotive technologies has been environmental concerns. As an alternative to petroleum-based fuels that leave a carbon footprint, electric batteries have increasingly been preferred. Consequently, the advancements in electric and hybrid vehicle technologies, which produce lower carbon emissions, have been reflected in the advertising of these vehicles. Through the inclusion of environmental messages in electric and hybrid vehicle advertisements, consumers who are sensitive to sustainability issues have been targeted as the primary audience. However, the environmental claims commonly featured in such advertisements - such as “sustainability,” “net zero emissions,” and “eco-friendly”- often lack transparency and accountability. This lack of clarity has led consumers to question the solutions offered by companies. These doubts have brought attention to the environmental impact of electric and hybrid vehicles. Studies have revealed that various stages of electric battery life cycles - including production, storage, charging, and disposal-can have harmful effects on the environment. As a result, discussions around greenwashing in electric and hybrid vehicle advertisements have gained prominence. Based on this, the study aims to identify the sins used in electric and hybrid car advertisements within the framework of “The Seven Sins of Greenwashing” defined by TerraChoice, which are indicators of greenwashing, to analyze the sustainability claims, and to reveal the common and differing sins through data comparison. For this purpose, a purposive sampling method was employed to select 15 international electric vehicle commercials and 15 hybrid vehicle commercials. These were analyzed through content analysis. The findings revealed that the most frequently observed greenwashing sin in electric vehicle advertisements was the sin of vagueness, while in hybrid vehicle advertisements most featured sin was the sin of the hidden trade-off. In electric vehicle ads, sustainability claims were mostly communicated through concepts such as carbon, emissions, sustainability, the earth, and zero. Whereas in hybrid vehicle ads, terms such as emissions, nature, energy, and needs were emphasized. Within the scope of common greenwashing sins, both types of advertisements included the sin of the hidden trade-off, sin of vagueness, sin of lesser of two evils, and sin of irrelevance. As for differing sins, electric vehicle ads were found to include the sin of false labels, whereas hybrid vehicle ads featured the sin of no proof. Importantly, this study's originality lies in its analysis of electric and hybrid vehicle advertisements within the conceptual framework of the TerraChoice “Seven Sins of Greenwashing” a foundational reference in the greenwashing literature.