What is Greenwashing?
When companies, organizations, or authorities communicate their sustainability efforts in a misleading manner, it is referred to as greenwashing. This can happen both intentionally and unintentionally, for example, by highlighting a positive action while omitting other challenges, or by talking about sustainability in vague terms without explaining what is actually being done.
For businesses, it is crucial to be honest and transparent in promoting sustainability and reducing emissions. There are also several laws and regulations that make greenwashing illegal, both in Sweden and at the EU level, and the demands are likely to increase as consumers and other stakeholders' expectations for accurate sustainability reporting grow.
How to Avoid Greenwashing?
Here are five tips for your company to avoid greenwashing:
1
Define clear sustainability goals and strategies
Start by clearly defining your company's sustainability goals and strategies. Be specific in your commitments and avoid general statements that could be interpreted as greenwashing. For example, instead of aiming to become more "climate-smart", set a goal for how much you will reduce your emissions. Set measurable goals and develop a clear plan on how to achieve them. And most importantly - don't let the sustainability strategy become just a document of empty promises - make sure to work towards achieving those goals!
2
Be transparent and honest
Openly share information about your company's emissions, sustainability efforts you are undertaking, and any challenges you are facing. Don't be afraid to admit mistakes or shortcomings and clearly show how you are working to improve. A simple and clear way to get started is to use
GoClimate’s CO2 transparency service.
3
Educate and involve your team
Ensure that your team understands what sustainability really means and engage employees by showing them how they can actively contribute to sustainable development in their daily work. This way, you create a culture where sustainability is an integral part of the company's values and decisions. GoClimate can assist you with this by offering various types of
workshops.
4
Review and verify claims
Before you release information about your sustainability work or make claims, ensure that what you are saying is clear and true. Avoid using vague concepts like "climate-smart" or "green" as these are not specific enough. Directly related to your claims, there should be more in-depth information, such as a link to your
CO2 transparency page.
5
Listen to feedback and be open to improvements
Take on board feedback from customers and stakeholders and use it to continuously improve your company's sustainability efforts. Keep up to date with current laws and regulations and what applies to different sustainability labels. Be open to constructive criticism and show that you take it seriously by taking steps to address any deficiencies or challenges.
What is Greenhushing?
Being afraid of making a mistake and letting that scare you into not saying anything at all about sustainability is an opposite effect of greenwashing and is usually referred to as greenhushing. Just like greenwashing, this could be damaging to your business and the sustainability movement as a whole. Don't be afraid to be vocal of what you actually do - be proud and tell the world about it. By doing so, you inspire others to do more, and it can create a ripple effect, establishing new norms.
And remember! You don't need to be the best at sustainability to start communicating what you do and how you do it. Together, we can inspire and make sustainability a natural part of every aspect of the company.
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