Final answer:
Greenwashing is the use of misleading claims about a product's environmental benefits, which often creates a falsely favorable image. The FTC reviews such claims, allowing those that are exaggerated but not outright false.
Step-by-step explanation:
The use of misleading marketing claims about the ecological benefits of products is known as greenwashing. Companies engage in greenwashing by taking credit for environmental problems they don't contribute to, while remaining silent about the ones they do cause.
This creates a favorable but often false environmental image. Although the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) checks factual claims about product performance to some extent, companies can still use exaggerated or ambiguous language and images in advertising as long as they are not outright false.
The principle of Caveat emptor, meaning "let the buyer beware," is especially relevant when evaluating these environmental claims.
Ecotourism is an example of how societies attempt to address environmental damage, but it can also fall victim to greenwashing if care is not taken to truly sustain and preserve natural environments.