Greenwashing - what is it, how to spot it and ways to avoid it

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Several large-scale surveys indicate that global consumers are united in their concerns over environmental issues. For example, the Glocalities Survey surveyed almost 190,000 respondents in 20 countries over several years. It revealed that 77% of consumers were concerned about the environment. While the most recent wave of the European Social Survey (2018) found that a vast majority of Europeans believe climate change is happening– most countries were over 90%. It seems US consumers are also catching up. The Yale Climate Opinion Maps (most recently published in February) found that 72% of Americans believe global warming is happening and a clear majority are worried about it.

Several stakeholders are pressing for proof of sustainability from companies, including investors, government authorities, NGOs and advertising watchdogs. These groups are increasingly informed about the issues and apt to piece together their data on companies or products. The regulatory environment in this area now spans packaging and labelling, competition, advertising, waste and requirements for environmental footprinting/ESG.

Adding to legislative requirements, NGOs (consumer or environmental) and governments at all levels are bringing companies to court over environmental statements or claims (e.g. recyclability or biodegradability). The lawsuits are often linked to various elements of what has been called the 7 sins of greenwashing, which include vague or irrelevant claims, lack of proof, and false labelling. 

Stakeholder areas of concern are also rapidly shifting to include less traditional environmental metrics, such as community noise stressors, or social metrics, such as labour practices and worker safety. Similarly, there is confusion and change over the definition or understanding of even the most basic environmental terms (such as recyclable or biodegradable), which may differ from region to region. Biodegradable is commonly defined as something capable of being broken down naturally (e.g., by bacteria) in a way that is not harmful to the environment or organisms. But in practice, such a definition leaves room for confusion. For example, some products do degrade, but very slowly (e.g. steel) or only under certain conditions (e.g. a landfill is a challenging environment). Others degrade but leave behind small, even nanoscale substances - for example, microplastics found in human blood.

Proving your eco-credentials requires good (and up-to-date) data and a thorough understanding of and transparency across the full lifecycle of your products. One challenging aspect of ensuring robust data to prove credentials and claims is your supply chain. Companies don’t always have control over data from their suppliers - data is rarely standardised and there are few industries with guidance on best practices in this area. Suppliers often require extensive training so they understand and meet your expectations, which can make onboarding new suppliers time-consuming. And, if suppliers change formulations, everything must be updated down the value chain.

How to avoid it

There are several ways to avoid the accusation of greenwashing and ensure that your data is robust. 

• Understand the environmental impacts of your products through monitoring and measuring activities–see our recent webinar on the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

• Know what’s coming–see our webinar on Product Environmental Footprinting (PEF), or speak to us about custom regulatory monitoring

• Aims and claims: be clear and specific about both

• Certify, certify, certify: showcase your achievements (e.g., ISO 14024 type I ecolabels) and continually improve your environmental performance. See our recent webinar on Ecolabels

• Use our Sustainability Screening Tool to prioritise actions and use our ISO Toolkit as a basis for ISO 14001 compliance

Increase supply chain transparency and understand the substances in the materials in your supply chain– speak with us for help.

Wherever you are on your sustainability journey, we can provide tailored, independent support that helps you to achieve your sustainability goals and avoid greenwashing accusations.