Sustainability is no longer a luxury – consumers are becoming increasingly more aware of their environmental impact and are on the hunt for eco-friendly products that help them make sustainable switches in their everyday lives.
As the retail landscape evolves, businesses are jumping at the opportunity to become more sustainable. This has led to an alarming number of empty claims and misleading business fronts, also known as greenwashing.
A whopping 68% of corporate leaders in the United States admit to engaging in greenwashing practices, a statistic that shows how words alone are not enough to make a difference and win over eco-conscious consumers.
In this article, we discuss how an eco-friendly brand really looks, without having to resort to greenwashing, offering some tips on how to build trust among consumers by proving the legitimacy of eco-friendly products.
Creating An Eco-Friendly Brand
A huge 78% of consumers feel sustainability is an important factor when shopping and a further 55% stated they were willing to pay more for eco-friendly brands. With the current landscape of eco-conscious shoppers, brands are having to step up when it comes to sustainability.
When looking to create an eco-friendly brand, making changes to improve environmental impact is a must, but a business needs to tread carefully in order to avoid greenwashing. Before diving into the greenwashing aspect, let’s first understand what is product branding?
A product brand reflects the core values of a business, showing potential customers what the business is about and communicating the personality of the brand. Through a combination of design, messaging, and product offerings, a customer is able to paint a full picture and know what to expect.
What Is Greenwashing?
Greenwashing is the act of a business making misleading statements about the eco-friendliness of a product. Whether this be exaggerating the claims made or simply not having enough understanding about the true environmental impact, this results in greenwashing and can lead to a damaged brand reputation.
Many businesses are completely unaware of their greenwashing claims, not realizing that their sustainable claims are not an accurate reflection of their products. Common terms such as ‘green’ and ‘eco-friendly’ get thrown around but require concrete evidence to back them up. Using a natural material or recycled packaging is simply not enough if the manufacturing process produces excess amounts of waste or the materials are flown in from the other side of the world.
Since many consumers are looking to make more responsible decisions and take action to improve their footprint, misleading these customers with false claims leads to broken trust between a brand and its audience. This has the potential to lead to boycotts if the business is revealed to use greenwashing marketing tactics.
How To Avoid Greenwashing
Creating a truly sustainable brand requires all claims to be backed up with evidence, proving to customers that consideration has been made to reduce the environmental impact of the product. To be able to show off eco-friendly practices without falling into the category of greenwashing, here are some of the best ways to ensure good practices:
Calculate product footprint
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) software can be used to calculate the environmental impact of a product by assessing each stage of its life cycle. By analysing everything from the extraction of raw materials to the disposal of the product when it is no longer needed, an LCA can help identify any areas of the cycle which are using large amounts of energy, carbon, or water.
Going through the process of an LCA enables a business to identify any contributors to a negative environmental impact, allowing changes to be made so the product can demonstrate genuine sustainability. Having a deeper understanding of the impact of its products will help the business prioritise its R&D initiatives and make changes where they are needed the most.
Using trusted LCA software that complies with recognised standards ensures the credibility of a product, avoiding greenwashing concerns since they are verified by a third party. The more data that is input from the supply chain, the more accurate and credible the LCA will be.
Show the impact
With greenwashing becoming common within so many businesses, eco-friendly claims can start to become empty. To show customers that its products have been created with sustainability at the forefront, a business can benefit from showing just what difference its work has made.
Statistics are a powerful tool that can put the impact of product waste and carbon emissions into perspective. For example, if a business were to share a statistic on how many tons of waste have been diverted from landfills or an infographic of how many trees have been saved from being cut down, the reality of environmental impact can be made clear through hard-hitting evidence.
Using data-driven sustainability claims is a great way to avoid greenwashing as it gives credibility and quantifies the statements being made. Sharing proven figures not only shows the positive impact of the business, but is a memorable way to reach an eco-conscious audience.
Avoid empty claims
The main greenwashing culprits are those who use generic language that is made up of misleading claims that cannot be verified. Terms such as “eco-friendly”, “green”, and “sustainable” are easy for brands to throw into their advertising with little thought, but this is an empty claim that becomes greenwashing.
To avoid this, a brand should adopt a transparent approach that consists of honest and meaningful content. They can use language that reflects the personality of the brand through descriptions of how the brand has made its products more sustainable and what they are doing to make a difference. This will not only avoid greenwashing, but can also help connect with like-minded consumers.
Small businesses looking to verify a sustainability claim can substantiate the claim by showing that they’ve calculated emissions with an ISO-compliant LCA, such as ISO 14040.
Say it as it is
One of the key aspects of an eco-friendly brand is honesty. A brand fostering a completely transparent approach is a powerful way to build up trust among its customers, creating a more human relationship through open communication.
Instead of making empty claims, a brand should talk about what actions they have taken to produce more sustainable products and what changes they are planning to make in order to improve their offering further.
In a realistic world, nobody expects perfection and a brand will never tick every single box when it comes to sustainability. Instead of trying to cover up any practices that may not fit into the eco-friendly values of the business, a brand that is openly communicating the next steps in its sustainability journey will show a commitment to improving. This approach is a much more accepted one than making generic greenwashing claims that get caught out along the way.
Join trusted partners
Another effective way for businesses to build credibility is to partner with like-minded businesses or influencers. Whether these partners consist of local farmers, charity groups, sustainable businesses, or eco-conscious influencers, this is a great strategy for increasing brand visibility among an audience with similar values.
By partnering with reputable partners, the networking opportunity provides the chance to learn more about how other businesses are tackling sustainability challenges and avoiding greenwashing.
For brands who genuinely want to improve their footprint, getting involved with reputable sustainability-focused partners creates a circle of eco-friendly learning opportunities and powerful partnerships that can do their bit to transform the industry on a bigger scale.
Paving The Way For Sustainable Brands
For a business looking to become more sustainable, making small changes and then using sustainable claims is not enough. To avoid greenwashing and build a genuinely eco-friendly brand, every aspect of a product should be analyzed, from the sourcing of the materials to the carbon emissions involved in the production process.
Following the different strategies listed in this article will help a brand make sustainability claims with substance, showing the values of the business and connecting with eco-conscious consumers on a deeper level. By staying clear of generic claims and showing genuine commitment to making a difference, a business can build an authentic brand that offers eco-friendly products designed to contribute towards a more sustainable future.
