Environmentally friendly brands are pretty great. We should know, we have hundreds. But have you ever walked into Tesco to see a parade of eco, all-natural, bio, and a whole lot of green products? The biggest brands in the world love adding the colour green, the word ECO in bold and calling it a day. Easy as pie right? Wrong. In actuality, this is a huge slap in the face to real eco-friendly brands making a difference. Do you really think a green Coca Cola can is any better than a red one? Money hungry corporations don’t have environmental interests at heart. That’s wishful thinking. This is why greenwashing laws are changing. It’s time to call out brands on their bullshit. Let them show their true sustainable efforts.

So what is Greenwashing?

Greenwashing is when brands wash products with fake eco-friendly promises. That means the information they present is misleading and claims to be environmentally friendly but isn’t. In reality, it’s just a whole load of lies to deceive customers. 

Ever shopped H&M’s Conscious Collection because they say it uses sustainable materials? Bit higher in price aren’t they? Well if you haven’t caught on, they’ve been called out. Sure they claim to use sustainable products but they don’t actually tell you how. Instead, they vaguely describe their sustainability efforts with no data and no real truth behind their words. That Conscious Collection jumper could have 1% or 60% recycled polyester, no one knows. Good job on greenwashing H&M but you can’t fool us! 

Instead, there are hundreds of sustainable clothing brands to explore out there. You can start by checking out our Ethical Fashion category, enjoy!

How are greenwashing laws changing?

In 2020 the EU parliament passed a law to set and regulate greenwashing. The UK is planning to follow suit thanks to its aim to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) plans to double down on misleading environmental claims and put in place regulations. Environmentally friendly goods is a hot industry. So hot that in 2019 the UK spent £41 billion on eco-friendly goods and services alone! Now imagine the real value of that sum if it genuinely helped the planet. No, the new eco section in Primark isn’t actually helping anything but your aesthetic. 

This law was proposed late last year to increase regulations and reviews. Manufacturers and brands see consumers pay high prices for eco-goods which creates a shift to be green. Greenwashing promotional strategies include misleading packaging images and credentials and over-exaggeration of environmental benefits. 

The chief executive of the CMA, Andrea Coscelli says: “Our role is to make sure that consumers can trust the claims they see on products for sale and don’t fork out extra for items falsely presented as eco-friendly”. She added that “It’s important that people can easily choose between those who are doing the right thing for the environment and those who are not, so that businesses genuinely investing in going green can be properly rewarded by their customers.”

The CMA review will be more than just misleading images and claims. They will also look into excluding and not providing information. Much like H&M in the example above. If a brand claims sustainability, it won’t be able to cut corners. Including recycling, which we know is not as easy as it seems. The review will include sectors such as Food and Beverage, Investment and Banking, Beauty, Cleaning, Travel/Transport and Fashion.

How to spot greenwashing?

It’s pretty easy spotting a green or natural-looking product (yes we’re talking about the wood, cork and cardboard). If it’s natural-looking it doesn’t mean it’s natural!  So here’s a quick and easy guide of greenwashing examples to catch the eco-frauds. 

1. Watch out for “vegan” products: This goes for all non-food items. A vegan product is often made from synthetic material, most commonly PVC instead of leather. Research how a product is made and what efforts the company goes through to make it vegan.

2. Look at the company as a whole: It’s super common to find a “sustainable” section made by a big brand. If the company doesn’t have the same efforts throughout then they’re definitely greenwashing to hop on the trend. Instead, find a reputable business known for its sustainability efforts. We know a lot of brands that do!

3. Verification: Although it’s easy to add a bunny logo to make it look certified, it’s important to find the real logos. Look for facts and figures, real sustainable companies will show them off and the fakes will be vague and confusing. 

4. Check the ingredients: A natural, vegan and eco-product is great on the outside but it needs to be great on the inside too. Check the ingredients for anything that would cause more harm than good. The app Giki is super handy for this. Just scan a product’s barcode and it will tell you if it’s healthy, sustainable and ethical.

5. Keep an eye on “Natural” products: Ever seen a bamboo lid but then inside its plastic? Or a bottle that looks like glass but is actually plastic. Sure it may look natural but you need to check how true that is. If materials aren’t ethically and sustainable sourced then they’re not eco-friendly. Look for real facts and figures about what they’re made of and their journey to the shelves.

What does it all mean for you?

It’s becoming more and more confusing for consumers to identify real eco-friendly products. Finding eco-friendly products shouldn’t be hard. No one has the time to play Sherlock Holmes in the supermarket. To help you can use directories like ours where environmentally friendly products are guaranteed. If you’re out in your local supermarket, go for the less known brands. No matter what the big corporations say, if they’re not sustainable as a company then they can’t be green. Being eco-friendly is an everyday job, not just one product. 

Words by Jess Morgan