How to tell your sustainability story without greenwashing

Consumers and employees are looking for companies to demonstrate their sustainability credentials, and businesses are eager to respond. But it’s important to be authentic and upfront about where you are on your sustainability journey – even if it’s a work in progress. Above all, avoid greenwashing. It can harm your reputation and even lead to legal penalties.

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Update, 2 June 2022: Since I first published this article, there's been plenty of movement on the greenwashing front, including enforcement action by German authorities against Deutsche Bank’s asset management arm, DWS Group, over misleading claims about its ESG credentials. In the US, the SEC has also release a proposal to enforce stricter guidelines on ESG funds. This article from Stephen Bartholomeusz gives a good overview.

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Greenwashing simply means covering up a company’s environmental harms or exaggerating its green or sustainable benefits. If you work in marketing, content or corporate relations, you may feel under pressure to talk up your company’s green credentials, even at the risk of placing them in an unrealistically rosy light.

One of the best ways to counter that pressure is to develop an effective plan for promoting your sustainability credentials in an honest and open way, celebrating the positives while acknowledging the areas that still need work.

Avoiding greenwashing and reporting honestly can benefit your company’s reputation and help boost staff morale. An overwhelming number of employees aged under 30 say that if their employer is socially and environmentally responsible, they’re more loyal and motivated.[1] Honesty and authenticity are a key part of demonstrating that responsibility.

Five ways to stay greenwash-free

It’s not always easy being green – but making the effort can pay off.

1.     Identify areas where your business has taken real, measurable actions. For example, has your business chosen green electricity or improved energy and water use at its premises, upgraded its fleet to electric vehicles, or helped finance your customers’ sustainable initiatives? Then it's time to let the world know.

2.     Showcase your green or sustainable certifications. If your business qualifies for independently certified standards such as Green Tick Certified, you can proudly display them – giving your customers and employees confidence in your sustainability credentials.

3.     Avoid unsubstantiated claims. Research shows consumers are especially unforgiving of businesses who they see as guilty of “corporate hypocrisy”, and that respected brands can sustain more damage from concealing bad news than their less respected peers.[2] So don’t exaggerate your achievements and acknowledge any areas of weakness.

4.     Use the data. For example, if your business has conducted lifecycle assessments, use that data to create infographics, show progress or to back up sustainability claims.

5.     Be upfront. Be honest about where your business has more work to do on its sustainability performance.

If you’d like help telling your sustainability story more effectively, let’s talk.

1. Global Scan ‘Why Younger Generations are More Willing to Change in the Name of Sustainability’ 4 December 2020, accessed 6 April 2022.

2. K Shim, S Yang, ‘The effect of bad reputation: The occurrence of crisis, corporate social responsibility, and perceptions of hypocrisy and attitudes toward a company’ Public Relations Review, vol. 42, December 2015, accessed 6 April 2022.