'Environmental Friendly' or 'Environmentally Friendly'? | Mastering Grammar

(Last Updated: 27 July 2024)

Environmental Friendly or Environmentally Friendly: Which One Is Correct?

The correct expression is environmentally friendly (or environment-friendly). It is wrong to say environmental friendly:

✅ Given the low occupancy rates of cars, taking the bus is more environmentally friendly and helps reduce the number of vehicles on our roads.
❌ Given the low occupancy rates of cars, taking the bus is more environmental friendly and helps reduce the number of vehicles on our roads.

✅ Environmentally friendly products are those that do not cause damage to the environment.
❌ Environmental friendly products are those that do not cause damage to the environment.

✅ We need an environmentally friendly alternative to plastic shopping bags.
❌ We need an environmental friendly alternative to plastic shopping bags.

✅ Cycling is an environmentally friendly form of transport.
❌ Cycling is an environmental friendly form of transport.

✅ Wood burning is not environmentally friendly.
❌ Wood burning is not environmental friendly.

The reason environmental friendly is wrong is that both environmental and friendly are adjectives, and an adjective cannot be used to modify another adjective; an adverb is needed to do the job. A few examples will help to make this clear:

✅ Housing in Hong Kong is ridiculously expensive. (The adverb ridiculously modifies the adjective expensive.)
❌ Housing in Hong Kong is ridiculous expensive.

✅ This service is temporarily unavailable. (The adverb temporarily modifies the adjective unavailable.) 
❌ This service is temporary unavailable.

✅ The British summer is extremely beautiful. (The adverb extremely modifies the adjective beautiful.)
❌ The British summer is extreme beautiful.

✅ Chris is fairly shy. (The adverb fairly modifies the adjective shy.)
❌ Chris is fair shy.

✅ I'm terribly sorry. (The adverb terribly modifies the adjective sorry.)
❌ I'm terrible sorry.

The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary's entry for environmentally friendly

This Google Ngram shows that environmentally friendly is used much more frequently than environment-friendly.

I hope you have found this content helpful in your English learning journey. If so, please consider buying me a coffee. Your support keeps this blog running and is greatly appreciated!

Examples from the Media

Buying in a physical store is more environmentally friendly than purchasing the same items from an online only retailer, the authors found. —Daily Mail (2020)

Some young Canadians like Roy say that while buying certain environmentally friendly products can cost more upfront, they tend to save more money in the long run when they make eco-conscious spending decisions. —Toronto Star (2022)

Being "green" is all the rage with technology companies these days, but what's not clear is whether or not the environment-friendly approach is bringing in more greenbacks. —The Sydney Morning Herald (2007)

The goal is not to ban wool or leather but to find more environment-friendly ways to produce it. Kering and LVMH, for example, are moving away from traditional tanning methods that use chromium. —The Washington Post (2015)

Recommended Further Reading

'Temporary Closed' or 'Temporarily Closed'?

Real-World Examples of Misuse