How to market your brand’s sustainable story without greenwashing

Sustainability and environmental matters present marketers and business leaders with a problem.  

Consumers increasingly want to know about sustainability credentials and how brands interact with the planet, but they are also concerned about the validity of any claims. 

One study found that over half of consumers would stop buying from a company if they found their ‘green’ claims were misleading (source).  

So how do you balance the rising demand for transparency and environmental consideration, with the risk of greenwashing and associated loss of trust and reputation damage?  

What is greenwashing? 

The United Nations website describes greenwashing as the practice of ‘misleading the public to believe that a company or entity is doing more to protect the environment than it is’ and a real threat to credible climate action. 

The term ‘greenwashing’ can describe multiple actions, including vague claims, hidden trade-offs, irrelevant labels, and more.  

Some examples of greenwashing are:  

• Any claims about reducing emissions to net zero when no plan is in place. 

• Vague or non-specific messaging about a company’s operations. 

• Labelling that does not have standard definitions or that can be easily misinterpreted such as ‘green’ or ‘eco-friendly’. 

• Implying that a minor improvement has a major impact. 

• Promoting a product that meets the minimum regulatory requirements as significantly better than the standard. 

• Emphasising a single environmental attribute while ignoring other impacts. 

• Communicating the sustainability attributes of a product while ignoring other brand activities, for example, a dress made from recycled materials, but it is produced in a factory that pollutes the air and nearby waterways. 

How to avoid greenwashing and talk about sustainability the right way  

Addressing sustainability and environmental matters in your marketing should be well thought out and purposeful.  

A few things to consider when talking about the environment and your impact are: 

1. Transparency  

Confusion, mixed messages, and vague promises are key things to avoid in sustainability marketing. 

53% of green claims give vague, misleading or unfounded information (source).  

This is what creates the bad feeling with the customer as vague messaging often feels like an afterthought or a last-minute addition. 

To build trust, you need to be open about both your challenges and successes.    

Being open and transparent, where commercially possible, will banish the confusion and better connect with your audience.  

2. Specificity  

Another way to build trust and talk about sustainability in the right way is to be specific. 

Incorporating impact infographics and short-form videos for clarity can have more effect that sharing impressive, but vague, claims. 

Using data, certifications, and measurable goals and sharing real numbers builds the foundation for comparisons later and provides measurable results.  

For example, instead of saying “eco-friendly”, your messaging could specify a carbon footprint reduction percentage or environmental impact versus a market leader.  

This also includes product packaging or service brochures.  

The European Commission shared that half of all green labels offer weak or non-existent verification.  

3. Consistency  

To build legitimacy and trust with the consumer you have to be consistent in your messaging. 

Sustainability needs to be embedded across the brand and not just used for a one-off campaign or to tick a box.  

The best way to seamlessly integrate it into your marketing strategy is to show the journey, not just the outcome, sharing ongoing improvements and work from the whole team.  

4. Proof  

In sustainability marketing, proof is more important than ever.  

The European Commission found that 40% of claims have no supporting evidence, which can make even legitimate claims seem vague or like greenwashing. 

You can share internal proof by showing behind-the-scenes processes, sharing impact reports, or creating case studies that are woven into your content plan. 

Or you can use an external, credible third-party certification to independently verify your claims such as Fairtrade, B Corp, or FSC.  

Either can help signal your commitment to sustainability and negate any greenwashing claims.  

Mistakes to Avoid 

Some common mistakes to avoid greenwashing in sustainability marketing are:  

• Overusing buzzwords such as ‘green’, ‘eco-friendly’, ‘sustainable’ without any evidence or proof 

• Highlighting one sustainable commitment or success while ignoring other areas of impact 

• One-off campaigns with no consistent follow up or commitment to long-term change 

• Hiding setbacks or failures that do not fit with your messaging 

Progress over perfection  

A key shift in consumer behaviour that has affected marketers in recent years has been the preference for honesty, transparency, and accountability.

This extends to sustainability and associated marketing.

There is a huge appetite for sustainable accountability, but it has to be honest and authentic.

It has to be a long-term identity shift, not a marketing gimmick.

Not sure where you’d start? Or how to build sustainability messaging into your marketing? We can help you assess your journey and how to share it! You can contact us here or see our services here.