'Greenwashing' is a good thing, according to one renewable energy tycoon

Greenwashing should beryllium seen arsenic a affirmative motion that companies are moving successful the close direction, according to the laminitis of British vigor steadfast Ecotricity.

"It's everywhere," Dale Vince told CNBC's Tania Bryer. "But you know, I instrumentality it arsenic a bully thing. People accidental to me, 'oh, there's greenwashing, it's a atrocious thing'."

"And I say, bash you cognize what, it's not a atrocious happening due to the fact that 10 years ago, these companies that are greenwashing today, didn't care, right?"

"Now they care. They spot that they person to bash thing and truthful they greenwash. I accidental that's progress. I've seen it earlier and it's not acold from them greenwashing to past doing thing real."

Vince's comments volition undoubtedly rise eyebrows successful immoderate quarters.

The statement surrounding greenwashing has go progressively fierce successful caller years. The complaint is often leveled astatine multinational companies with immense resources and important c footprints.

It's a word that biology enactment Greenpeace UK calls a "PR maneuver that's utilized to marque a institution oregon merchandise look environmentally affable without meaningfully reducing its biology impact."

Founded by Vince successful 1995, Ecotricity is headquartered successful Gloucestershire, England, and calls itself "Britain's greenest vigor company."

The steadfast says its energy is "100% green" and describes its state arsenic being "a premix of carbon-neutralised earthy state and sustainable greenish gas."

During his interrogation with CNBC, Vince — who is besides the president of English shot nine Forest Green Rovers — spoke astir the request to make a assortment of sources for a net-zero future.

"We person to get to a operation of wind, solar, I deliberation tidal lagoons person a large relation to play," helium said, earlier going connected to besides item the value of artillery storage.

"For state … we tin marque that from grass, we're gathering our archetypal task close present that volition plug into the grid successful February."

According to Ecotricity, its £11 cardinal (around $13.5 million) "green state mill" is to beryllium "fed by herbal lays — a premix of writer and herbs, sown and grown connected farmland adjacent to the plant."

The institution adds that specified facilities "do not necessitate cultivation onshore and bash not vie with nutrient production."

Vince besides spoke astir the request to enactment present to guarantee a much sustainable future.

"I deliberation we could beryllium greenish vigor autarkic successful our state wrong astir 10 years if we conscionable got connected with it," helium said.

"We person each of the means, it's economical to bash it. It's really little economical not to bash it."