Unveiling the Secrets of Greenwashing

In an era marked by growing environmental consciousness, many companies are eager to show their commitment to sustainability. Yet not all companies practice what they preach.

Some engage in a practice known as “greenwashing”, which involves vague, misleading or false claims about products, operations and a business’s environmental impact aimed at attracting environmentally conscious consumers. Here, we’ll explore the definition of greenwashing, its negative impact on businesses, and how you can ensure you’re not misleading consumers with on-pack claims.

Greenwashing is a deceptive strategy where businesses exaggerate or falsely claim their commitment to environmental responsibility. The term itself is a portmanteau of “green”, which is associated with environmentalism, and “whitewashing”, which means covering up undesirable facts.

These claims might be made on a business’s website, within their digital advertising or on their product packaging. Regardless of where and how consumers are being misled, businesses use greenwashing tactics to attract eco-conscious consumers, stand out against the competition and, ultimately, boost sales. 

How common is greenwashing in the packaging industry?

The packaging industry is one of the biggest culprits for greenwashing claims. But there might be a few different reasons why businesses are being vague, misleading, or advertising false claims.

Some adopt this strategy because of the growing importance of sustainability for customers. They want to showcase that they’re environmentally friendly and target consumers who are looking for products with low environmental impact. But in reality, implementing the sustainability practices they claim to have in place can be costly and time-consuming. Many businesses would rather deal with the consequences of being caught misleading consumers than go through the correct procedures to improve the sustainability of their business operations and products.

Businesses and consumers alike can be affected by greenwashing tactics. From a loss of trust to damaged reputations, here are some of the biggest negative impacts to be aware of.

Damaged business reputation

Falsely advertising that your packaging is 100% recyclable or that your business operations have a lower environmental impact than they really do can end up damaging your business’s reputation if consumers discover the truth. This might be revealed through an independent report or journalistic investigations and could do irreparable damage to the image of your business. Sales and trust are therefore likely to dip significantly.  

Lack of consumer trust

Naturally, when a business is caught in a lie, consumers are likely to lose trust and take their money elsewhere. But with greenwashing being so common, this can also make it difficult for consumers to trust companies when their packaging or advertising involves sustainability claims. It’s hard to know if these are true or if they’re just being included because they say what consumers want to hear.

Legal risk

Greenwashing poses several legal risks for businesses, as they might not be meeting consumer protection laws. It also allows non-sustainable businesses to grow under the pretence of being environmentally friendly, which can prevent them from hitting global climate change targets.

Increased waste and impacted sustainability

Customers might be buying items they think are sustainable, even though they’re not. So, when they come to recycle their packaging, for instance, they might find that the materials end up being sent to landfill because the claims on the businesses’ packaging or website were false. In turn, this increases waste for consumers and impacts their sustainability, even though they were aiming to minimise their environmental impact.  

Greenwashing can come in several different forms, so here’s what to look out for and avoid within your business.

Misleading labels and certificates on packaging

False labelling and certification might be associated with products or services to give the appearance of sustainability. Often referred to as “greenlabelling”, this type of greenwashing makes consumers think they’re making environmentally conscious choices.

Deceptive imagery

Using images of things like trees, forests and grass that we would normally associate with sustainability is a deceptive tactic some businesses use to appear more sustainable than they really are.

Greenhushing

“Greenhushing” refers to the deliberate underreporting or hiding of sustainability practices to avoid external scrutiny. A business might use this to avoid meeting high expectations from consumers. They might stay quiet or avoid talking about their environmental actions, rather than publicising them.

Irrelevant claims

A business might highlight smaller efforts to draw attention away from its more damaging activities and operations. Making these irrelevant claims can mislead consumers since they’re only seeing a small part of their sustainable efforts and being steered away from the broader picture.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), a UK government department responsible for promoting competition for the benefit of consumers, has introduced a Greenwashing Checklist to help consumers identify genuine sustainability claims and avoid falling for greenwashing. This also helps businesses ensure they’re compliant with consumer protection laws.

Here’s what the checklist entails:

• Transparency and clarity: Companies should provide clear, accurate and transparent information about their sustainability efforts. If a company is genuinely committed to sustainability, it should be willing to share up-to-date, credible evidence to back up its claims. All claims should tell the whole story of a product or service, rather than partial or incomplete truths, and should avoid misleading customers or other suppliers.
• Independent verification: Look for products with third-party certifications or endorsements. These organisations assess and validate a company’s sustainability claims, ensuring they meet established environmental standards.
• Consistency: A company’s actions must align with its green claims. If a brand says it’s committed to reducing plastic waste, but its products are still heavily packaged in non-recyclable materials, it raises a red flag.
• Specifics over vagueness: Genuine green initiatives are typically backed by specific claims. Be cautious of vague terms like “eco-friendly” or “green”. Instead, look for precise information about how the product minimises its environmental impact. Any general claims must reflect the entire life cycle of the brand, product, business or service.
• Accountability: Businesses must take full accountability for their impact on the environment and the sustainability initiatives they have in place. Durability or disposability information must be clearly labelled, and if this isn’t possible via your packaging, it must be easily accessible to customers in another way. Any comparisons to other businesses must also be fair, accurate and clear to understand.

So, how can businesses avoid greenwashing? By backing up any sustainability claims, showcasing certifications correctly and clearly, and designing packaging with UK regulations and consumers in mind, businesses can ensure they’re doing their due diligence to avoid being misleading.

At Tyler Packaging, we utilise our expertise and experience in the packaging world to help your business achieve its sustainability goals. Not only can we work with you to develop packaging solutions that meet your needs, but we can also offer a range of options for you to choose from. Whether you’re after recyclable or compostable packaging, get in touch to find out more about what we do.

Our sustainability promise helps us stay focused on our ultimate goal of achieving net-zero contamination. We look at the entire product lifecycle, from the materials used to the energy required, to ensure energy consumption, pollution and our carbon footprint are kept to a minimum. You can rest assured that all our sustainability claims are backed up by third-party certifications, such as BCR accreditation.

Greenwashing is a persistent issue, but by staying informed on the latest regulations, we can make more responsible business decisions and contribute to a greener, more sustainable future.