It was inevitable really, but those buzzwords around sustainability are starting to drive me insane. Even the word itself ‘Sustainability’ is exhausting and that’s pretty much the only word we have to use!

So quickly, what is Greenwashing? Well, in a nutshell, it’s when a company jumps onto the Eco-Bandwagon and makes false claims about how Environmentally focused they are, as a marketing move. For example, they may claim that all of their packaging is recyclable when it probably isn’t; or they celebrate Earth Day on social media, yet make no effort to audit their impact on the environment. It’s all just one big front to get ahead of the movement.

David Attenborough released Blue Planet and suddenly everyone was talking about plastics. People felt more and more uncomfortable walking into a supermarket and putting any item wrapped in plastic, into their basket. What followed was an enormous increase in companies making claims and using those exact buzzwords I was talking about. ‘Ethical’, ‘Biodegradable’, ‘Sustainable’, ‘Green’. Anything that would push the consumer towards trusting them and viewing their brand as purpose-driven. Being the terrible cynic I am, the majority of the claims just didn’t sit right with me.

As we move into a new economy where companies are judged by their footprint on this world, we all have a responsibility to maintain that healthy progress. Companies MUST audit their claims and be honest. Easier said than done when you’re noticing a tidal wave of expectations from customers and you’re not able to meet them. Even more difficult when you’re direct competitors are jumping in head first.

Research has shown a significant transition in customer behaviour towards staying loyal to brands that have good intentions so you’re naturally going to witness a huge increase in marketing around that. However, it’s up to all of us as customers to remain critical and ask questions. Find the companies genuinely bringing value and being proactive about reducing their harmful impacts; then stick with them. Don’t pander to the projectile regurgitation of sustainability sound bites.

I feel you, it’s pretty noisy out there. How are we supposed to navigate our way through all of the BS. One part of my job as a Sustainability Consultant is to advise businesses on this very topic; so I’ll dive right in with some guidance on how to avoid Greenwashing, at all costs. The wonderful part of this, is that most Greenwashing principles can be replicated across industries.

In 2007, TerraChoice, an environmental marketing agency, published a study of the environmental claims in the North American consumer market called, The Six Sins of Greenwashing.

The study found that 99% of the 1,018 consumer products surveyed were guilty. It also identified the common patterns and called them the ‘Six Sins of Greenwashing’. Let’s go through them, shall we.

Sin of the Hidden Trade-Off: A claim that a product is “green” based on narrow environmental attributes, but disregarding other important environmental or social issues. e.g We use Organic Cotton but we also definitely exploit our producers and pay them a small fraction of a liveable wage.
Sin of No Proof: A claim that cannot be substantiated by easily accessible supporting information, or by a reliable third-party certification. e.g 10% of profits from sales of a specific product will go to this charity.
Sin of Vagueness: A claim that is so poorly defined or broad that its real meaning is likely to be misunderstood by the intended consumer.
Sin of Irrelevance: A claim that may be truthful but is unimportant and unhelpful for consumers seeking environmentally preferable products.
Sin of Lesser of Two Evils: A claim that may be true within the product category, but that risk distracting the consumer from the greater environmental impacts of the category as a whole.
Sin of Fibbing: A claim that is simply false.

I can feel the cracking underfoot as I walk over eggshells here. I’ve had plenty of push-back before from small business owners who feel hurt by my highlighting of certain behaviours in business. They’ve clearly committed some of these sins before and become defensive over it. My message is always clear in response to them. I’m not here to attack small business owners, I’m here to support them so they aren’t criticised down the line. I understand the pains of owning a young fledgling business and not having the money to become sustainability superstars on day one. However, the sins still stand. If you’re transparent with your customers, admit your flaws and show your willingness to improve, then you’re not greenwashing. It’s as simple as that.

Anyway, I’ll continue across my path of eggshells to offer some advice in avoiding these sins.

1. Do Your Homework

It seems pretty obvious but time is money. People don’t want to invest the time to ensure the validity of their claims, and you’d be shocked at the ease in which many ignore their moral compass, just to jump onto a trend sooner.

If you’d prefer to do this properly, consult your customer base; speak to environmentally and socially conscious people. What do they want from you? From your product? Ensure that the claims from your business, product or service are true and consistent with their expectations. It’s also important to look at your entire business chain and check whether any aspect of your operations contradict your green claims. Whether you like it or not, you’re responsible for justifying why you’ve chosen certain suppliers if red flags begin showing in their operations. It’ll save you hassle down the line if you’re better connected to every stage of your supply chain. Network with them, stay up to date.

2. Be Honest and Humble

I mentioned this one earlier. If your company or product is not 100% green, be honest about that and embrace it. It’s pretty damn refreshing when companies admit to their downfalls and show their vulnerabilities. I wrote about this in a recent article. We’re all human and running a business is hard; never mind trying to reduce your negative impact as well along the way. Trust me, the more open and honest you are, the less ammunition you hand over to those looking to pick you apart.

Acknowledge the areas of your product or business that are not yet green and commit to working on them. Call me crazy but why not get your customers involved in helping you do that? A greater connection to your customers builds trust and loyalty.

3. I’ll just keep beating the drum. TRANSPARENCY.

Make it easy for your customers to understand and check the claims you are making. Show them your balance sheets if you claim to be donating; pay out for certification such as becoming a B-Corp, that is regularly assessed. Lay it all out on the table and show your commitment.

4. Work with Stakeholders

This goes back to getting your customers involved in the process but you shouldn’t stop there. Your stakeholders include a wide net of people, literally anyone who is influenced by your company and its activities. It could be any group from your employees at all stages to local fishermen in the area where your suppliers factory is. Maybe the rivers are becoming polluted? I don’t know, I’m just trying to engage your imagination because it really does take some thinking outside of the box. It’s too easy to merely ensure your employees are happy.

Now we’ve mentioned it, are your employees actually happy about your green claims? Are they proud to come to work every day? Gather feedback from every corner of your network. The more people you speak to, the more will sing your praises and do the PR for you.

5. Focus on the Journey

Influence is all around us, each and ever day, both good and bad. Just like when you start a business, you need to get your head down and develop a kind of tunnel vision. Ignore what the others are doing. Trust me, if you see that your competitors are launching a new ‘green’ product and they’re throwing everything behind it, you’re going to be tempted to fall back into old habits. Those habits that fill short-term cravings but always harm you long-term.

Communicate to your audience that the changes you’re implementing are not going to just occur overnight. It may sound cliche but only because it’s true. Sustainability is truly a journey and not a destination. It requires us to always be critical. Even when you’ve achieved your 5 year plan created by a consultant, there’ll always be a 10 year plan following it.

The huge advantage you have with a culture of openness and honesty is that you can remove almost all pressure but it also acts as one big juicy marketing campaign. If you communicate your reasoning and relentlessly document your journey to becoming a more sustainable brand, you’ll become the pied piper and your merry band of supporters will follow you wherever you decide to go. It’s an exciting journey of learning and being part of a community for them just as it is for you.