Do you know what’s funny?

It feels like every brand woke up 1 morning, looked around and went right team, let’s go save the planet.

Because suddenly every company is like eco conscious and every coffee cup is compostable and every corporate website has a nice leafy green banner with the words sustainable, carbon neutral and ethical sourcing written all over them.

And do you know what?

I’d be all up for this as I believe in doing your bit for the planet.

But The thing is, it’s become less about helping the planet and more about helping their own PR.

Everyone jumped on this sustainability train during COVID when I feel like they thought the world was about to end.

But now they’ve shifted to being obsessed about money.

I mean, even more so than they were before.

So now wild world, world burns.

Quite literally.

Some of these brands are using climate change as a marketing strategy.

Annoyingly, many are benefiting from it.

So in today’s episode, we’re sniffing out the bullshit behind greenwashing, which is basically how businesses bake sustainability for clout and how you can spot the signs and how real change makers can rise above the noise.

Hello and welcome to Sniffing Out the Bullshit, a podcast for ambitious entrepreneurs who want help wading their way through the bullshit jungle of entrepreneurship and then the tools, skills, and mindsets that are actually required for success.

I’m your host, Sabrina Chevannes, the no bullshit entrepreneur.

So the myth is simple.

If a company says it’s sustainable, it probably is.

We want to believe that, don’t we?

Because honestly, it just makes life easier.

We want to think that buying that eco detergent or the green T-shirt somehow cancels out the guilt of existing on a melting planet.

And brands know this.

They’ve realized that sustainability isn’t just good ethics, it’s good business.

Because in 2023, PwC did this like Global Consumer Insights survey and they found that 78% of customers are more likely to buy from companies that they perceive as environmentally responsible.

So obviously now every boardroom has a sustainable strategy and every like boardroom then employs this PR firm, which is Uber expensive to try and make it sound inspirational and you know, legit basically.

Basically suddenly every company has a conscience.

Like banks are talking about their carbon footprints, oil companies are posting pictures of wind farm to God sakes, and fast fashion brands are releasing conscious collections that somehow still include polyester.

So when you dig deeper, it’s rarely about the impact, It’s about image.

So take that airline that plants trees for every flight while still adding new routes every month, or the tech giant promising to be net 0 by 2030, yet relying on cobalt mined under horrific conditions.

It’s kind of ridiculous, but he’s the genius of the myth.

They’re not lying outright, they’re just saying things that sound true enough, such as eco friendly, ethically sourced, 100% natural.

These words are unregulated.

They mean absolutely nothing without context.

And according to the European Commission’s 2021 study, 53% of green claims online were vague, misleading or entirely substantiated, IE made-up, and another 40% had no supporting evidence at all.

So let’s think about that for a second.

More than half of what we read about green products could be complete fiction.

And sometimes it’s not just clever wording, it’s deliberate deception.

Do you remember Volkswagen’s clean diesel scandal?

They literally built an entire global campaign around the idea that their cars were environmentally friendly.

Except they weren’t.

They’d literally installed software in their engines to cheat emission tests.

So the cars appeared clean in the lab while emitting up to 40 times the legal limit of nitrogen oxides on the road.

And the result of this?

Well, thank goodness they got caught and they received billions in fines.

Their executives were charged and the trust completely shattered.

It’s a perfect example of what happens when sustainability becomes basically a sales pitch instead of a principle.

As I said, I’m all for people doing good stuff for the environment, but there’s a danger attached when people are manipulative with it all.

When everyone claims to be sustainable, the word basically stops meaning anything.

It’s a lot like how I complain about the word authentic losing all meaning with all the personal brand guru is claimed to be authentic while manufacturing everything about themselves.

It’s very similar.

So with sustainability, when consumers can’t tell the difference between marketing and meaningful action, they start to switch off.

And that’s the real damage of the myth.

It doesn’t just trick buyers, it cheapens the work of companies who are actually are doing the right thing.

Which sucks.

It’s like the business version of virtue signaling.

And disgustingly, it works because people want to feel like they’re making good choices without giving up convenience, comfort or cost.

So brands aren’t selling products anymore, they’re selling absolution.

And I see this all the time in the entrepreneurship space too.

I’ve had clients proudly tell me we’re a sustainable business.

And when I ask how, they say something like, oh, well, we use like, digital business cards instead of paper.

I mean, great, every little helps and all that, but that’s not exactly saving the planet, is it?

So this myth allows people to pat themselves on the back for doing the bare minimum and call it purpose.

So when a company says they’re saving the planet, what they really mean is we found a way to sound progressive without changing a damn thing.

And that, my friends, is where the real bullshit begins.

So The thing is, most companies aren’t lying outright.

They’re just carefully manipulating perception.

They’ve mastered the art of looking responsible without actually being responsible.

It’s not always easy to spot, but once you know what to look for, you start seeing it everywhere.

And that’s why I wanted to do this episode, so I could make you aware of the signs, so you could see who’s legit and who’s greenwashing.

So I’m going to run through some of the major signs of greenwashing so that, you know, so #1 I’d say is the vague language trap.

You know, the ones that say like eco friendly green or natural kind to the planets.

These words just sound so comforting, but actually they’re almost entirely meaningless.

And I mentioned a minute ago, right, about that European Commission study, remember 53% of claims were vague or misleading and another 40% had no supporting evidence at all.

So half the time eco friendly could just mean the packaging looks green and planners know that the average customer can’t speak.

Customer won’t ask questions, right?

They’ll just feel good buying it.

I I need a glass of water.

You can barely speak sometimes.

Do this podcast and talking into the mic consistently for half an hour is not that easy actually.

And I feel like I have these conversations and I’m like, you know, always talking to people for a long time.

And I have like hour long meetings and I’m fine.

But I feel like talking non-stop, that break isn’t so easy, and other people just seem to make it so seamless.

I think, I guess I don’t edit stuff out like this.

I mean, I leave this in so people know.

After all, I’m trying to show what’s bullshit and what’s not.

So it’s not that easy anyway.

Have some water.

If you’re recording a podcast, where was I?

I was going through the different bits of green washing, wasn’t I?

And I did number one, I think I did #1 So I’m going to go for #2 which is the token gesture.

So this is when companies basically make a small convenient change and they milk it for massive PR value.

So you’ll see things like paper straws and plastic cups and recyclable bottles that still get shipped halfway around the world, All clothing brands collecting old garments for recycling that actually end up dumped in Ghana.

And, you know, there was some major players with examples of this, such as like Coca-Cola.

They’re a prime example.

They run these huge world without Waste campaigns, right?

Claiming that they’ll make all packaging recyclable by 2030.

Whatever.

They still remain the world’s largest plastic polluter for the sixth year in a row, according to the Break Free From Plastic audit.

Wild.

So then there’s #3 it’s like, this one’s a bit sneaky out, right?

Basically, it’s like this hidden trade off.

A company would genuinely fix one problem while quietly creating another.

Take electric cars, for example.

Yes, they totally would use tailpipe emissions, but they rely on batteries built from lithium and cobalt, often mined in horrific working conditions in the global South.

So while they’re cutting emissions in London, they’re creating human rights disasters in the Congo.

So it’s one problem solved, another big problem created, and another example of this vegan leather.

Everyone loves the vegan leather.

Sounds sustainable as hell, right?

Except it’s usually made from PVC or Poly polyurethane, which are both forms of plastic.

It’s cruelty free, sure, but it’s still an environmental nightmare once it hits landfill.
And it’s what I call swapping sins.

Basically fixing one headline issue while creating another.

And then we’ll go to #4 this is like the irrelevant claim.

It’s pure misdirection.

Where like brands brag about doing something green that has nothing to do with their core impact.

Think of like oil companies like when they talk about solar panels or airlines promoting their tree planting while increasing flight frequency.

And one of the most ridiculous examples I could think of BP, like after causing one of the worst oil spills in history, they rebranded themselves as a Beyond Petroleum.

They changed their logo to a soft green sunburst, ran ads about renewable energy, and yet more than 96% of their spending still goes into oil and gas.

I basically look like the base palm emoji right now.
So let’s go to #5 it’s the fake or like self-made certification thing.

Like you’ve probably seen those fancy eco badges on packaging, right?

The earth approved or nature positive or certified green company.

Well guess what?

Many of them are self created or paid for seals.

Basically bullshit.

And the real certifications like B Corp, fair trade, Rainforest alliance, they take years to achieve and they need third party audits to get them as well.

But the fake ones, you can basically design those on Canva over lunch.

So it’s so bullshit it’s ridiculous.

But even the big players do, right?

So take Nestle.

They’re a textbook case.

They’ve loudly marketed their water and coffee products as a carbon neutral and sustainably sourced.

But those claims have repeatedly been challenged by higher ups, and it’s a bit shady what they’re up to.

And we’re at what, number six now?

Well, number six is the selective storytelling.

It’s what every good personal brand guru does.

It’s like green washing isn’t, you know, always what the companies say.

It’s also about what they don’t say.

So take H&M’s conscious collection.

Their labels used to include sustainability scores for each garben.

So supposedly showing like the environmental impacts of materials, except an investigation by courts fan that some of those eco materials had higher environmental footprints than H&M’s regular items.

So they were sued in 2022 for misleading marketing.

Crazy.

And then let’s look at Shell, another oil company.

They proudly announced their carbon neutral operations while simultaneously expanding new oil drilling projects in the North Sea.

So it’s cherry picking data to tell a story that sounds good.

A truth sandwich if you like a thin slice of progress between two thick layers of emission or bullshit.

It’s not as bad as #7 which is the straight up lie.

Because we of course have ones who just make shit up.

And that’s where Volkswagen comes in again, because they didn’t even bother with vague claims like they just flat out cheated and their cars emitted up to 40 times the legal pollution limit while advertising themselves as clean diesel.

Honestly, that was just ridiculous.

So that obviously was a global scandal.

Billions of fines, like I said.

And you know, that wasn’t just a marketing spin.

That was huge corporate fraud, basically.

So these are the different shapes that greenwashing takes, and once you see them, you can’t Unsee them.

And it’s not just the obvious offenders either, because even small businesses and influencers fall into it.

They are constantly using words like ethical or planet positive without ever questioning if their supply chain, their packaging or partnerships actually back that up.

Now, sometimes it’s ignorance, but more often it’s just convenience because let’s be real, tell me the truth is damn hard work.

But doing the work, that’s even harder.

So when brands are rewarded for looking good instead of doing good, we create this like economy built on illusion.

And the scariest part, the illusion works because people want hope.

They want to feel like they’re part of the solution.

And that’s exactly what greenwashing sells.

It’s not sustainability, but this hope that they sell it.

So you might be thinking that all right, but who really cares if a brand green washers?

It’s still better than nothing, right?

Well, part me thinks that too, because I don’t want anyone to do something good for the planet.

But sadly, that’s not quite right.
Green washing isn’t just about bad marketing, it’s about manipulation.

It’s not actually a victim’s PR stunt.
It changes how we buy, how we trust and how we behave.

And that ripple effect does real damage.

It manipulates consumers, first of all.

That’s the obvious one.

It tricks people into being like they’re part of the solution when they’re not.

You think you’re choosing the eco detergent or the conscious genes, but really you’ve just bought the same old product wrapped in some newly recycled looking packaging.

And there was this study that Deloitte did and back in 2022, and they found that 64% of consumers want brands to actively reduce their environmental impact, but only 23% actually trust the claims that those brands make.

So that gap between what people want to believe and what they can believe is where the greenwashing thrives.

It’s like this psychological loophole.

People don’t want to feel guilty about their lifestyle and companies know that.

So they sell comfort.

Moral comfort, basically.

And 2nd, 2nd casualty.

It’s the genuinely good businesses.

Because while the fakes are busy shouting about their net 0 commitments, the real change makers are stuck trying to prove that they’re not lying.

They’re getting certified, they’re verifying the supply chains, they’re auditing emissions, and this all takes so much time and money.

And meanwhile, the greenwashers just spin a lovely story and they pocket the profit.

It’s quite disgusting.

And there was this Harvard Business Review article, right, that they found that when consumers are exposed to repeated false sustainability claims, their trust in all green messaging drops, including from legitimate brands.

So that’s the worst part.

The liars basically poison the well for everyone else.

And those brands that are doing the work quietly, the ones investing in renewable energy, fixing logistics and paying fair wages, they end up getting drowned out because the loudest boys is in the room.

They’re the fakest ones.

So green washing doesn’t just mess with perception, it also literally slows down climate action.

So when companies inflate their sustainability credentials, governments and investors are seeing things are improving faster than they are.

And that means less regulation, less pressure pressure and less urgency.

There was this 2023 Carbon MarketWatch report and it found that more than 1/3 of corporate net 0 pledges rely heavily on offsets rather than actual emission reductions.

So translation to this, they’re buying their way out of change.

Now, offsets aren’t evil, but they’re like the ultimate get out of gaol free card now because unfortunately, planting a few trees doesn’t cancel out the fact that you’re still operating undustainably.

And I’ve seen so many brands do this.

And do you know what they, they at first were like, do it for the right reasons.

And then they realized they were like, oh, actually I can just go on all these flights and just offset the carbon.

And it almost encouraged bad behavior.

I get it like offsetting the carbon and parsing trees is still better than nothing.

So if you were doing that, then great.

But don’t do it as an excuse.

Like almost like you’ve got this thing to protect you and then you claim to be sustainable at the end of it.

It’s just not right.

And so while those PR departments celebrate their net zero claims, the planet unfortunately doesn’t care about optics.

It cares about the maths and the maths just still adding up, basically.

And let’s talk about the other consequence, right?

The one that barely gets mentioned is, you know, related to what it’s saying about the good people.

It’s green hushing.

And that’s where the good companies go quiet because they’re terrified of being accused of green washing.

And as another survey by South Pole, they found that one in four companies with actual science based climate targets no longer publicly communicate their progress.

And why is this?

Well, because they’re afraid of backlash.

They’re afraid that one little mistake, one outdated infographic, or even 1 tough question would suddenly destroy their credibility.

So they stopped talking altogether.

And do you know what?

That silence is dangerous because if the authentic voices were treat, then the only ones left dominating the conversations are the fake ones.

And we’ve done it ourselves, right?

We spent three years researching how to build low carbon websites and I spent a couple of years on Bema sustainability Cancel and I helped lead the way with, you know, WordPress orgs sustainability initiatives.

Plus I was even partnering with the likes of Ecology and taking the military pledge.

We were doing all of these things, but because I also go on holiday abroad and take a flight, I feel scared about saying anything our company’s doing towards sustainability initiatives.

So we don’t even mention all the work we do for purpose driven companies and all the pro bono schemes that we do.

OK, I’m mentioning that, but I don’t shout out about it like most of the companies do for PR because I’m scared about backlash.

And we’re just a tiny company, but we do a lot of what we can do to contribute because we genuinely care.

But now we feel like we are queen hushed because of all this.

And do you know what?

There’s also an emotional fallout for all of us.

We are getting fatigued.

People are getting tired of being lied to, so they start to tune out.

But you mentioned the word sustainability, and they’re just all their eyes.

And that cynicism is a dream come true for the companies that never plan to change in the 1st place, right?

So when we stop believing anyone’s good, we stop rewarding the ones who actually are.

And that’s kind of how progress dies, not in some blaze of scandal, but this quiet indifference that happens.

And it’s not just about the global corporations, right?

Even in the entrepreneurial space, greenwashing shows up in smaller but subtler ways, right?

Like people claiming their products are 0 waste when all they’ve done is swap one plastic for another.

Or coaches and consultants building their entire personal brands right on purpose without actually any measurable action behind it.

And you know, this is where it hits close to home when you are genuinely are purpose driven.

It’s really hard to prove it.

At at N0BS we’ve had to turn down clients who wanted to like create some sustainability spin without actually changing their practices.

Because I feel like every time that we help someone fake sustainability, we then dilute the credibility of the ones doing it for real.

And personally, I’d much rather work with 10 imperfect businesses trying to do better than one perfect looking fraud.

So I guess the question is, why does it matter?

Because green washing may seem like just PR fluff, right?

But I don’t think it is.

I think it’s a distraction.

I think it wastes time, money and trust.

Those three things we desperately need if we’re actually going to make any real dent in the climate crisis.

And so it lets the people responsible for the most damage look like the heroes while the planet keeps on burning.

And it makes people also stop believing that change is possible.

And so when belief dies, the action dies with it.

And that’s the real cost of greenwashing.

And that costs, well, it’s probably far higher than any brands marketing budget.

So it’s really dangerous.

Now let’s talk about or the freelancers, the agencies and the entrepreneurs out there.

It’s my who they just want to work with real purpose driven brands.

And do you know what purpose driven brands?

That’s a big buzzword right now as well, right?

And at N0BS, we’ve seen every flavour of purpose.

Some of it’s real and a lot of it is branded PR.

But I want to talk about how we can tell them apart.

So I’ll tell you that number one, that real purpose driven brands don’t hide behind buzzwords.

They like lead with transparency and not tag lines.

They share numbers, the data, the mistakes, right?

And if you can’t find a clear sustainability report on their website at already a red flag.

And if everything is written as vague PR speak, like we care deeply about the planet, well then congratulations, there’s a slogan, but there’s no strategy.

So transparent isn’t transparency isn’t about perfection, it’s actually about accountability.

So I’d also say that you need to find legitimate third party certifications that they are showing off like they’re properly certified.

So B Corp fair trade, rainfall Alliance, I mentioned that earlier, but also 1% of the planet, all these guys, but also check the fine point because some companies love to say, oh, we’re in the process of becoming B Corp certified, which can basically last forever.

And if they’re using the badge, confirm it’s real.

You can literally search the B Corp directory and see if they’re listed.

And if they’re not, well, I think that pretty much tells you everything that you need to know about that one, right?

So #3 a day is sustainability is in their business model for start.

So this is the biggest tale, right?

Are they building sustainability in how they operate or what?

Or just like what they market?

And obviously the gold standard here is Patagonia.

They are like the Halo company.

They didn’t start an eco campaign.

They built an entire company around environmental repair and responsible production.

And meanwhile, some fast fashion brands are running like recycling drives once a year while producing 500 million new garments.

So if impact isn’t part of the operations, it’s probably just optics.

Now I’d say #4 is a big one.

It’s when they own their imperfections.

Because I believe that one of the best signs of an important, authentic brand is humility.

The real ones will happily say we’re not there yet, and they’ll still talk about what needs fixing.

It’s uncomfortable, but it’s honest and honestly builds trust.

Because in a world full of fake perfection, imperfection is proof of humanity.

I’d say #5 is very similar in the sense that if they mess up, they’ll take responsibility.

Because sustainability isn’t a check box.

It’s supposed to be an ongoing relationship with accountability.

So when a real brand makes a mistake, they don’t delete the posts or quietly change their wording.

They acknowledge it, they fix it, and they learn publicly.

And that’s what makes them trustworthy.

Because someone who works with brands, I’ve learned this the hard way.

The ones we’re partnering with are the ones who tell you the truth, even when it’s inconvenient because that’s the kind of brand worth your energy and your reputation.

So now you maybe you’ll listen to this and thinking, I actually do care, so I want to get this right.

Well, great, because intentions matter, but your execution matters more.

So here’s where I’d say you start.

Number one, I’d say you audit your own impact.

So look honestly at your operations, your supply chain, packaging, travel, partnerships, whatever.

Even your tech stack, if you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.

So tools like scope 3 emission calculators and B impacts assessments are a great place to start.

And it’s not about guilt, it’s just about awareness.

But #2 I’d say is do the work before you do the marketing.

So please, for the love of authenticity, don’t announce sustainability before you actually achieve something measurable.

The world does not need another we’re going green press release.

It needs companies who change their practices first, then earn the right to talk about it.

So I’ll say #3 is similar in the sense that you’ve got to educate your audience.

Because if you’re genuinely trying to do better, then bring people with you, just like I’m doing now.

Share the messy bits.

Share what you’re learning, what’s changing, what didn’t work.

Because transparency doesn’t weaken your brand, it actually strengthens it.

Because people who care will be for your progress and not your perfection.

And on that note #4 is collaborate and don’t compete.

Because this isn’t a race, it’s a survival thing, right?

Real impact comes from collaboration, sharing suppliers, insights and mistakes.

Work with other founders and organizations who are aligned with you and what you want to do.

Because the more we raise the standard together, the less room that is for this performative bullshit.

And I’d say the last one is keep the main goal insight, because the goal isn’t to be seen as sustainable.

The goal is to actually be sustainable as a business, as a leader, and as a human.

And the truth is, none of us will ever get it completely right.

But if we can get a little better each year, a little more conscious, a little more transparent, a little less performative, than we’ll already be doing more than most.

So whether you’re working with purpose driven brands or trying to become one, the principle’s all still the same.

Do it because it’s right, not because it sells.

So greenwashing isn’t a mistake for most companies.

It’s actually a marketing strategy.

It’s a way to cash in on consumer guilt while changing absolutely nothing.

And the irony?

Well, it’s slowing down the very progress it pretends to promote.

So if you’re a business owner, don’t greenwash.

If you’re a marketer, don’t enable it.

And if you’re a consumer, please don’t bloody fall for it.

Because the next time a brand says they’re saving the planet, ask yourself one thing.

Are they really?

Or are they just saving their image?

Because at N0BS, we only work with brands that back up their talk with action.

Because if you’re really serious about making a difference, you shouldn’t have to shout out about it.

Your work should do the talking itself.

So I hope you banned this week’s episode of sniffing out the Bullshit Useful.

Please do share it with anyone you know who truly cares about the environment to help them spot the signs of the bullshit too.

But until next week, please do keep sniffing out the bullshit.