5 tips to avoid greenwashing in your marketing

Is your brand committed to sustainability? Are you doing good things for the environment that you want to shout about?

Good, you should. But you should do it properly.

It’s no secret that consumers are becoming more and more environmentally conscious and this has fuelled a spike in eco-claims by brands who are looking to capitalise on their sustainability efforts. Because sustainability sells.

While this does give rise to better, more environmentally friendly products, it also leads to a surge in misleading advertising and greenwashing. With the growing demand for eco-friendly products, brands are reaching to market themselves as the eco-friendly options so many consumers are looking for.

The problem? They aren’t as eco-friendly as they say they are, meaning that what they’re actually doing is greenwashing.

What is greenwashing?

Greenwashing: “behaviour or activities that make people believe that a company is doing more to protect the environment than it really is.” - Cambridge Dictionary.

(Big thanks to Jay Westerveld, an environmental activist who coined this term in the 1980s. Here we are, 40 years later, still calling it out.)

Greenwashing occurs when brands present themselves as environmentally friendly in an attempt to improve their reputation but don’t actually back up their claims or really invest in anything that actually makes them sustainable. This can include vague sustainable claims, eco logos and labels with no connection to any third-parties or international standards, and lack of explanation or evidence.  

What’s the result of greenwashing in marketing?

The European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA) published a report highlighting that complaints against environmental claims made up 21% of total complaints received for misleading advertising in 2022. This is up 6% from the previous year. Yikes.

And in 2021, the Competitor and Markets Authority (CMA) highlighted in their global sweep that 40% of green claims made online used tactics that could be considered misleading or even breaking consumer law.

Some of these tactics included vague or unclear language – terms like ‘eco’, ‘sustainable’ or referencing ‘natural products’ with no explanation or evidence to back the claims. There was also a tonne of hiding or omitting certain information – like a product’s pollution levels – in order to appear more eco-friendly.

So what happens when a brand is found to be greenwashing? Well, firstly, there’s a risk of breaking the law. Secondly, when your audience (who likely found you through their painstaking search for eco-friendly products that leave less of a mark on the environment) discover you have been less-than-honest with your eco claims, you lose their trust. The relationship you’ve meticulously built through your marketing efforts over months or even years is broken in an instant.

Point taken, Amaia. Is there any good news?

Of course! This relationship can be rebuilt, or even better, it can be avoided entirely by staying away from greenwashing in your marketing communications.

So without further ado, here are my 5 tips for avoiding greenwashing in your copywriting.

5 tips for avoiding greenwashing in your sustainability copywriting

1.       Avoid blanket statements and buzzwords

Vague terms like ‘eco-friendly’, ‘clean and pure’, or worse, ‘green’, (what do you MEAN?) are easy and tempting to use because they don’t really need backing.

But that’s the problem. Without evidence of your claims, they mean nothing and are very clearly seen for what they are – empty buzzwords.

Sweeping, blanket statements like ‘We’re a sustainable brand!’ share the same issue. They don’t mean anything. If you want to highlight your commitment to sustainability, you’ll need to be specific.

2.       Share your journey transparently. What can you credit yourself for?

You don’t have to be 100% sustainable. No one is looking for perfection. What they are looking for is transparency.

Talk about what you have achieved so far and how you got there. Don’t be afraid to mention where you can improve, especially any plans you have in place. Credit yourself where you can and acknowledge any imperfections.

The bonus benefits of this particular tip are that by showing your journey, you tell a story and storytelling is wonderful for connecting with your audience. And by acknowledging imperfections, you humanise your brand and become significantly more relatable.

3.       Mention certifications

If you’ve been lucky enough to obtain a certification that adds credibility to your sustainability claims, shout about it!

Eagle-eyed, eco-conscious consumers will be on the lookout for trustworthy stamps from organisations like B Corporation, 1% for the Planet, Certified Carbon Neutral, and more.

There are many places you can wave your certification flag, from your website to your product descriptions, even on packaging and labels.

4.       Substantiate your claims

Don’t make a claim with no back up. Even if what you’re claiming is true, if it’s not backed up, it can be interpreted as greenwashing.

Instead of 'Made from sustainable materials', state which materials. How much of that material is used? And why is it sustainable?

Instead of saying 'We’re committed to sustainability', explain exactly how you are. Do you have an aim to reduce your carbon footprint by a certain amount and by a certain date? How will you achieve it? What are the methods and initiatives you’ll use?

Give clear information on what you’re doing and how. Use your certifications from tip 3.

5.       Marketing comes second

Possibly not what you expected me, a copywriter, to say, but the truth is that the most important part of marketing your sustainable brand is that you are actually a sustainable brand.

Your sustainability efforts start from within, they don’t start with marketing. Set your goals, sustain your claims, then think about marketing.

Honest and transparent copy lays the groundwork for trust. Focus on the facts and be specific to create meaningful messaging. If you can do that, you’ll protect your brand’s reputation and attract more customers aligned with your brand’s values.

Looking to create powerful messaging that highlights your commitment to sustainability without fooling your customers? Let’s chat.