Avoiding greenwashing
Greenwashing is when a business makes claims about its green credentials that aren’t completely true.
It can take many forms, including false claims, green imagery, and cherry picking data and stories to paint an unrealistic picture of a brand.
The Green Claims Code?
In the UK, we have the Green Claims Code. Introduced by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the it sets out six principles that environmental claims must follow to be considered legitimate.
The code aims to protect consumers from misleading environmental claims while helping businesses make truthful green statements.
Green Claims Code principles
- Be truthful and accurate: Claims must reflect the actual environmental impact of your product or service. No exaggeration allowed.
- Be clear and unambiguous: Vague statements like “eco-friendly” without context won’t cut it. Specify exactly what makes your offering green.
- Don’t omit important information: Tell the whole story, including any negative environmental impacts alongside the positives.
- Make fair and meaningful comparisons: When comparing your products, ensure you’re comparing like with like.
- Consider the full lifecycle: Account for all aspects from production and packaging to disposal when making claims.
- Back up claims: Have evidence to back up your claims before you make them.
The Green Claims Code is a great starting point when it comes to communicating your sustainability actions. If you follow it, you’ll be communicating clearly and truthfully.
When you’re communicating what you do, be careful to avoid:
Vague language: Terms like “sustainable,” “green,” or “eco” are subjective. Instead, be specific. Instead of saying “We’re a green business”, say “We’ve lowered our carbon footprint by 20% compared to last year.”
Cherry-picking: Don’t ignore parts of your business that have bigger environmental impacts. Be honest about your sustainability journey and own the areas you still need to improve on – for example: “We’ve got rooftop solar, but our vehicle fleet is still running on diesel. We’re working on switching to electric but it’s not possible yet.”
Position legal requirements as benefits: For example, disposable plastic cutlery is banned in the UK, so you can’t claim that as a feature of your sustainability strategy.