sustainable and environmentally conscious than they really are, to improve image and sales without substantial changes in their impacts.
In other words, greenwashing is a form of deceptive communication that uses the theme of sustainability as a marketing lever, emphasizing marginal actions and concealing more relevant negative environmental effects.
What is greenwashing and what does it mean
Understanding what greenwashing is means recognizing all those practices that “greenwash” a product, service or company without consistent environmental policies, processes and outcomes behind it.
When we ask what is meant by the term greenwashing, we are referring precisely to this disconnect between what is stated in communication campaigns and the reality of environmental performance.
Therefore, explaining what greenwashing means is crucial to help consumers and marketers distinguish between true sustainability and a simple image operation.
How it manifests in marketing
In marketing, greenwashing what is, in practice, seen in vague, unmeasurable or unverifiable claims such as “100 percent green,” “environmentally friendly,” “natural,” or “zero-impact” without serious data, standards or certifications to back it up.
Colors, symbols, and images of nature are often used to make a product perceived as eco-friendly, even when the life cycle, supply chain, or packaging have no real environmental improvements.
In this sense, greenwashing is the opposite of transparent communication: it promises more sustainability than the company can demonstrate with numbers, reports, and external verification.
Typical examples and risks
Typical examples include companies launching a single “green” line to reposition the entire brand, or communicating reforestation or offsetting initiatives as a total solution to their environmental impact, without intervening in production, energy consumption or emissions.
Greenwashing is also recognized when a real but marginal environmental benefit is amplified to the point that the main impacts are forgotten.
The risks are many: loss of consumer trust, reputational damage, possible challenges from authorities and consumer associations, as well as slowing down the transition to truly sustainable business models.
How to recognize and avoid greenwashing
To understand what greenwashing is operationally, it is useful to ask some questions:
- are environmental claims specific, clear, and measurable or general and absolute?
- Are there data, labels, and independent certifications that confirm what is claimed?
- Does the company also communicate its limitations and areas for improvement, or does it only show an ideal version of itself?
A brand that communicates transparently explains what greenwashing means to its customers and demonstrates with facts and figures its path, while greenwashers simply use sustainability as a slogan.