A Guide to Greenwashing and How to Spot?
                     A GUIDE TO 
GREENWASHING 
AND HOW TO SPOT 
IT
What Is 
Greenwashing
?
“Greenwashing” is a common marketing 
ploy designed to make products seem 
more sustainable than they are. 
It’s essentially a way to convince 
customers that a company is making 
positive environmental choices, often 
through eco-conscious verbiage designed 
to convince shoppers that the product is 
more natural, wholesome, or free of 
toxins than competitors.
Source: www.ecowatch.com
Selective 
Disclosure
Companies often highlight positive 
environmental facts about their products 
while intentionally avoiding any mention 
of the negative. 
For example, an auto manufacturer might 
praise a vehicle’s fuel efficiency while 
ignoring the environmentally destructive 
mining practices involved in producing its 
lithium battery.
Source: www.ecowatch.com
Symbolic 
Actions
It’s standard practice for brands to draw 
attention to a minor positive action that 
does little to change its overall 
environmental footprint. 
Oil companies donating Dawn dish soap 
to clean infected animals after their own 
product spills in the ocean is one 
example.
Source: www.ecowatch.com
Hidden Trade-
Offs
Brands may advertise a new change as 
green while ignoring its negative effects. 
For example, Starbucks introduced straw-
free lids to avoid wasting plastic, but 
these new lids used more plastic than 
before.
Source: www.ecowatch.com
Lack of Proof
The company may make claims about its 
eco-friendliness (“made with organic 
materials!”) without sharing certifications 
or other evidence to back them up.
Source: www.ecowatch.com
Vagueness
Brands can greenwash by making broad 
statements filled with buzzwords about 
their sustainability that are too vague to 
mean anything. 
Examples include ‘new and improved, 
‘non-toxic,’ and ‘made with 
biodegradable materials.’ Or, the 
package around a plastic toy might be 
labeled “recyclable” without making it 
clear whether it’s referring to the 
package, the toy, or minor components of 
either.
Source: www.ecowatch.com
Irrelevance
Companies greenwash products by 
making claims that are technically true 
but irrelevant to their environmental 
impact. 
Examples are a paper company that 
boasts its products contain “all-natural 
materials” (most paper does) or an 
aerosol spray advertised as “CFC-free” 
(CFCs have been illegal in the US since 
1978). 
Source: www.ecowatch.com
Lesser of Two 
Evils
This happens when companies promote 
one beneficial aspect of an otherwise 
damaging product. Examples include 
fuel-efficient SUVs or Walmart getting 
sued for misrepresenting the benefits of 
“biodegradable” plastic bottles.
Source: www.ecowatch.com
Meaningless 
Labels
Many brands hide behind meaningless 
“greenspeak” that sounds impressive but 
doesn’t have any official weight behind it. 
Examples include phrases like “made 
with natural ingredients” instead of 
showing USDA organic certification or 
saying “vegan approved” instead of 
showing the product is PETA-certified 
vegan.
Source: www.ecowatch.com
Overinflated 
Phrases
Greenwashing companies may use 
phrases that, while technically true, give 
the consumer a skewed perception of the 
products they are buying. 
For example, an apparel company may 
state its shirts are “now made with 50% 
more recycled fibers” when increasing 
the amount from 2% to 3% of the total 
garment. True, but overstated as a 
benefit.
Source: www.ecowatch.com