How to Avoid Greenwashing: A Practical Guide for Businesses (2026)

Step 1: Audit Your Current Claims

You can't fix what you haven't found. Most businesses are surprised by how many environmental claims they're making — and how scattered they are. A thorough claims audit covers: website (every page, not just the sustainability section), packaging and labelling (text and imagery), advertising (Google Ads, social, display, print), social media archives, investor and annual reports, and job listings.

Start with your website using our free greenwashing scanner — it identifies ECGT-banned terms across your site in 60 seconds. Then move to offline channels.

For each claim found, note: what is being claimed, for what scope (product / range / company), what evidence exists, and whether a third-party has verified it.

Step 2: Substantiate or Remove

After the audit, every claim falls into one of three buckets:

1. Well-substantiated — specific claim + existing evidence + accessible to consumers. Keep it, make the evidence link visible.
2. Partially substantiated — claim exists but evidence isn't complete or accessible. Fix the evidence gap or rewrite the claim.
3. Unsubstantiated — generic claim with no evidence. Remove it. The risk of keeping it exceeds any marketing benefit.

Substantiation under ECGT requires evidence that is based on recognized scientific evidence, accurate and comprehensive (not cherry-picked), accessible to consumers, and current. Specificity is your friend: "Packaging contains 80% post-consumer recycled PET, certified by RecyClass" is both specific and verifiable. "Eco-friendly packaging" is neither.

Related: Greenwashing Checker Tool: 10-Point Checklist

Step 3: Get Certified

Third-party certification is the most robust protection against greenwashing accusations. A recognized certificate doesn't just satisfy regulators — it makes your claim credible to consumers.

EU Ecolabel

The official EU voluntary environmental label. Covers 36 product categories including textiles, household cleaners, paper products, cosmetics, and tourist accommodation. Recognized by 86% of EU consumers (Eurobarometer 2023). Cost from €200/year.

B Corp Certification

Issued by B Lab. Covers the entire business — governance, workers, community, environment, customers. Requires scoring 80+ on the B Impact Assessment and legal accountability. Recertified every 3 years. Best for company-level sustainability claims across all dimensions.

FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)

Covers wood, paper, and paper-based products. Chain-of-custody certification traces material from forest to end product. "FSC certified" is a compliant alternative to generic "sustainably sourced" claims.

Fairtrade

Covers agricultural products and supply chain conditions. Guarantees minimum prices to producers and community investment premiums. Recognized by 90%+ of EU consumers. Best for food, beverage, cotton, coffee, and cocoa companies.

GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard)

The leading certification for organic textiles — covers both organic content and social/environmental conditions of processing. Required by major fashion retailers for organic claims.

Step 4: Apply ISO 14021 for Self-Declarations

Not every environmental claim needs third-party certification. ISO 14021 provides a framework for credible self-declared environmental claims without certification. It covers: recyclable, recycled content, reduced energy consumption, reduced resource use, reduced water consumption, and reusable. For each, it specifies what conditions must be met, how to quantify and express the claim, and what must be disclosed.

Example: For a "recyclable" claim, ISO 14021 requires that the product actually be recyclable in practice — not just theoretically. If recycling infrastructure doesn't exist in your markets, the claim is non-compliant even if the material is technically recyclable.

ISO 14021 compliance won't satisfy the incoming Green Claims Directive's third-party verification requirement, but it provides a defensible foundation for self-declared claims under current rules.

Step 5: Handle Carbon Claims Carefully

Carbon claims — "carbon neutral," "net zero," "climate positive" — are the highest-risk category of environmental marketing claim. Most "carbon neutral" claims are achieved primarily through carbon offsets, not actual emission reductions. Regulators across the EU, UK, and US have consistently found that offset-based neutrality claims mislead consumers.

What you can claim safely

• Your measured Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions (with methodology disclosed)
• Year-on-year percentage reduction in measured emissions
• Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) commitment (labelled as a target, not current status)
• Verified carbon offsetting as a supplement to reduction, with clear disclosure of the split

What to avoid

• "Carbon neutral" without disclosing what proportion is offset vs. reduced
• "Net zero" based primarily on offset purchases without science-aligned reduction targets
• Future carbon claims presented as current status

The ECGT Directive already restricts "climate neutral" claims based solely on offsets. Our scanner flags them as Amber-priority items.

Step 6: Use Recognized Reporting Frameworks

GRI (Global Reporting Initiative)

The most widely used sustainability reporting framework globally. GRI Standards cover economic, environmental, and social topics. Over 10,000 organizations use GRI. Best for companies wanting a comprehensive sustainability reporting structure applicable to any sector or size.

CDP (formerly Carbon Disclosure Project)

Focuses specifically on climate, water, and forests. CDP questionnaires are responded to annually; responses are scored and publicly accessible. Over 18,700 companies reported through CDP in 2024. Best for companies making climate-related claims who need credible, third-party-accessible data.

TCFD (Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures)

Framework for disclosing climate-related financial risks and opportunities. Now mandatory for large EU companies under CSRD. TCFD alignment signals credibility to investors even where not mandatory.

CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive)

EU mandatory reporting for large companies (500+ employees from 2024; 250+ from 2025; smaller listed companies from 2026). Uses European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). If your company meets the thresholds, CSRD compliance is legally required.

Step 7: Build a Compliance Process

1. Claims registry — maintain a live document of all active environmental claims with evidence, certification reference, and review date
2. Pre-publication review — any new content containing environmental language must go through a compliance check before going live
3. Legal sign-off threshold — define which claims require legal review (all carbon/climate language, all comparative claims)
4. Certification renewal tracking — certifications expire; remove claims if certification lapses
5. Regulatory update monitoring — subscribe to European Commission, national consumer authority, and advertising standards body updates

Step 8: Train Your Team

Most greenwashing happens not from malice but from ignorance. Marketing teams write what sounds good without understanding regulatory implications. A basic training program should cover: the EU's list of banned and restricted environmental terms, the difference between substantiated and unsubstantiated claims, when to escalate to legal review, carbon claim rules specifically, and visual greenwashing risks.

Use our What Is Greenwashing guide as starting point for team training material.

Step 9: Monitor Continuously

New content is published every day. New regulations are issued. Continuous monitoring means you catch violations before regulators do. Set up automated monitoring via our Pro or Business plans — weekly or daily scans of your entire website with email alerts when new violations are detected.

Also monitor competitors. If a major competitor faces enforcement action, it's often a signal that regulators are focusing on your industry and specific claim types.

Also useful: Benefits of Automated Greenwashing Monitoring