Greenwashing (a compound word modelled on "whitewash"), or "green sheen," is a form of spin in which green PR or green marketing is deceptively used to promote the perception that an organization's aims and policies are environmentally friendly. Whether it is to increase profits or gain political support, greenwashing may be used to manipulate popular opinion to support otherwise questionable aims.
“漂绿”（greenwashing或green sheen）是由“漂白”（whitewash）一词演化而来，指绿色公关或市场营销团队用作欺骗性宣传报道的一种形式，以此向大众宣称某个组织的目标和政策都是环境友好型的。不管其目的是增加利润或者获得政治支持，“漂绿”行为都有可能被用来操控大众意见以支持一些原本备受质疑的行为目的。
The term greenwashing was coined by New York environmentalist Jay Westervelt in a 1986 essay regarding the hotel industry's practice of placing placards in each room promoting reuse of towels ostensibly to "save the environment." Westerveld noted that, in most cases, little or no effort toward reducing energy waste was being made by these institutions—as evidenced by the lack of cost reduction this practice effected. Westerveld opined that the actual objective of this "green campaign" on the part of many hoteliers was, in fact, increased profit. Westerveld thus labeled this and other outwardly environmentally conscientious acts with a greater, underlying purpose of profit increase as greenwashing.
Greenwashing一词最早由纽约环保主义者杰•韦斯特维尔特在一篇1986年的文章中首创，这篇文章主要讲的是当时宾馆行业在每个房间都摆放标识牌，简单从表面上鼓励毛巾重复使用以“保护环境”。韦斯特维尔特指出，在大多数情况下，这些机构并未采取任何节能措施，有证据表明，上述的标识牌行为也未带来任何支出下降的情况。韦斯特维尔特认为，很多宾馆采取这一“绿色行动”的实际目的都是为了增加利润。由此，他就把这一类表面上大张旗鼓倡导环保而实际上带有更隐晦牟利目的的行为称为greenwashing（漂绿行为）。