Greenwashing is the practice by which companies claim they are doing more for the environment than they actually are.

Greenwashing has increased as:

  • companies’ climate commitments are on the rise;
  • consumers increasingly seek to buy more sustainable products;
  • companies are incentivised to make products more attractive to consumers; and
  • employees are attracted to work for companies with strong sustainability credentials.

Making false environmental claims hampers decarbonisation progress and impact. If greenwashing is not addressed, it will undermine the efforts of genuine leaders, creating confusion, cynicism, and a failure to deliver urgent climate action. It is a collective problem which requires collective action.

Watch The Carbon Trust’s webinar on how to avoid greenwashing and read their top tips on how to counter greenwashing through transparent communications for your business.

See: Briefing: how to counter greenwashing with transparent communications | The Carbon Trust