Common Greenwashing Tactics in the Market
- Rebranding without reform:
- Companies relaunch products with green labels, earth-tone packaging, or nature imagery, without changing the underlying materials or production methods.
- Example: A bottled water company highlighting “eco-conscious” branding while continuing to use single-use plastic without a recycling program.
- Token ESG efforts ("sustainability theater"):
- Launching a single, small-scale initiative (e.g., tree planting or carbon offset campaign) and over-promoting it to suggest comprehensive environmental reform.
- Carbon neutrality claims with flawed offsets:
- Declaring a product “carbon neutral” by purchasing cheap or unverifiable offsets instead of reducing emissions at the source.
- Note: Many carbon offset markets lack transparency, permanence, or additionality, undermining their legitimacy.
- Omitting scope 3 emissions:
- Highlighting reductions in Scope 1 and 2 emissions (from direct operations and purchased energy) while ignoring Scope 3 (supply chain, product use, and end-of-life).
- Selective disclosure ("Cherry-Picking"):
- Reporting only positive sustainability metrics while omitting poor performance areas (e.g., disclosing water savings while ignoring labor violations in supply chains).
Examples of Greenwashing
Volkswagen Dieselgate (2015)
VW marketed “clean diesel” vehicles while installing software to cheat emissions tests. This became a landmark greenwashing scandal resulting in billions in fines and massive reputational damage.
H&M’s “Conscious” Collection
Criticized for using vague sustainability claims and offering little transparency on production impacts. A 2022 Norwegian investigation found misleading marketing around garment sustainability.
Chevron’s “We Agree” Campaign
A high-budget ad campaign promoting environmental and social values, while the company faced lawsuits over oil spills and ongoing pollution.