Sustainability communication without greenwashing – here's how!

Text: Maria Soxbo

Is it better to stay silent than to talk about sustainability when you’re not perfect? No, actually not. Customers and consumers need insight into companies’ sustainability efforts to make more conscious choices. A large portion of consumers want sustainable services and products, and many are willing to pay more for it. Increasingly, people look for environmental labels and sustainability messaging. If companies with ambitious sustainability work choose not to talk about their efforts (what’s called "greenhushing"), consumers will face a sustainability advertising landscape dominated by companies that greenwash – and that’s not acceptable. However, everyone needs to be aware that greenwashing is a widespread problem, which in turn has led to something called “green skepticism” – public distrust of sustainability messaging. Credibility, transparency, and humility are crucial for successful sustainability communication.

Keep an Eye on Legal Requirements

In recent years, the Swedish Advertising Ombudsman (RO) has noticed an increase in complaints about environmental claims – that is, consumers questioning the truthfulness of different types of advertising. Rightly so, as globally, about half of all environmental claims are estimated to be greenwashing, or misleading. Sustainability communication is one of the most heavily regulated types of marketing, nearly on par with health claims. When assessing whether sustainability communication is misleading, judgments often consider the average consumer’s knowledge about sustainability. Climate, emissions, and environmental impact are incredibly complex topics, so it can’t be assumed that consumers have much prior knowledge. In short, good sustainability communication should:

• Avoid being misleading, e.g., describing a product or service with overly general terms. For example, describing a product as “sustainable” is too vague. How is it sustainable? Similarly, terms like "climate positive" or "net zero emissions" are complex for the average consumer, so they should be explained – something that communication rarely has room for.
• Be transparent, so that claims made are explained. Saying a shirt is “made from 100% recycled cotton” is factual, not an opinion – it is therefore concrete and clear. However, if you claim it’s “sustainable,” you need to justify what that statement is based on.
• Be based on scientific grounds. Labeling something as “environmentally friendly” requires that research or other independent and reliable sources have established that the product is indeed better for the environment than alternatives.
• Have a holistic view. If the environmental claim applies to only part of the product, e.g., the car's floor mats or the thread in the garment, that needs to be explained. The same applies if the claim only relates to parts of the product’s lifecycle.

Sustainability Communication in Practice

What does this mean in practice? Primarily, it means you should talk about what you’re doing, not what you think about what you’re doing. For instance, if the company has switched factories and now uses renewable energy in production, that’s a great message to communicate, especially if there’s a calculation on how much emissions this change saves. However, claiming that products made in the factory are therefore sustainable is the wrong approach.

The better the sustainability efforts, the more credible the communication

The trick is that the more genuine and effective actions a company takes in its sustainability work, the greater weight and credibility each message carries. Sustainability work is a marathon, not a sprint, and persistence and humility in facing challenges are essential. Acknowledging that you’re not perfect isn’t a sign of weakness but a sign of insight into what needs to be done, and it strengthens communication. Even if it feels a bit vulnerable, dare to talk about what you’re doing! Make it as concrete and understandable as possible, especially if you work in industries where your climate impact is less tangible for customers and consumers, such as service companies offering digital solutions, financial tools, consulting hours, travel booking services, and similar. Even some sectors within physical products can be challenging to compare from a sustainability perspective, such as electronics. Here, effective sustainability communication is particularly important, both to highlight the industry's challenges and to increase customer awareness. And last but not least—don’t forget storytelling. Good sustainability communication, just like good communication in general, is about engaging and inspiring!

Maria Soxbo is a freelance journalist and has written this article on behalf of GoClimate.