Greenwashing 2.0, a new way to earn green stripes

By Trey Thoelcke Updated Sep 15, 9:51AM EDT · Published Sep 15, 6:50AM EDT

Greenwashing 2.0, a new way to earn green stripes — © billnoll / E+ via Getty Images

(Mark Hulbert, an author and longtime investment columnist, is the founder of the Hulbert Financial Digest; his Hulbert Ratings audits investment newsletter returns.)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (Callaway Climate Insights) — Michelin, the world’s largest tire manufacturer, appears to have taken greenwashing with carbon offsets to a whole new level.

The normal greenwashing pattern, of course, is for a company to purchase carbon offsets, claim they’re making progress towards carbon neutrality, and then ignore what may happen to those offsets in subsequent years.

Since greenhouse gasses can remain in the atmosphere for 100 years or more, genuine offsets must sequester an equal amount of carbon for at least that long. If that offset reflects a new forest that in 10 years goes up in smoke, as has happened all too often in California and Oregon in recent years, then the offsets shouldn’t count.

In Michelin’s case, according to an investigative report from the climate campaign group Mighty Earth, the company reversed the order of these two events…

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About the Author Trey Thoelcke →

Trey has been an editor and author at 24/7 Wall St. for more than a decade, where he has published thousands of articles analyzing corporate earnings, dividend stocks, short interest, insider buying, private equity, and market trends. His comprehensive coverage spans the full spectrum of financial markets, from blue-chip stalwarts to emerging growth companies.

Beyond 24/7 Wall St., Trey has created and edited financial content for Benzinga and AOL's BloggingStocks, contributing additional hundreds of articles to the investment community. He previously oversaw the 24/7 Climate Insights site, managing editorial operations and content strategy, and currently oversees and creates content for My Investing News.

Trey's editorial expertise extends across multiple publishing environments. He served as production editor at Dearborn Financial Publishing and development editor at Kaplan, where he helped shape financial education materials. Earlier in his career, he worked as a writer-producer at SVE. His freelance editing portfolio includes work for prestigious clients such as Sage Publications, Rand McNally, the Institute for Supply Management, the American Library Association, Eggplant Literary Productions, and Spiegel.

Outside of financial journalism, Trey writes fiction and has been an active member of the writing community for years, overseeing a long-running critique group and moderating workshop sessions at regional conventions. He lives with his family in an old house in the Midwest.