Managing greenwashing risk
Understanding the impact of green claims
Greenwashing is when a business makes unsupported claims about the positive impact that it, or its products or services, have on the environment. Claims may be inadequately supported by evidence of environmental impact, or simply be presented in a way which is misleading as to the business' true environmental impact.
Green claims can take many forms: statements about 'green' corporate missions and operations, anti-deforestation pledges, commentary about sustainable supply chains, nature-based solutions for products and processes, and commitments to the use of recycled materials and offsetting schemes.
Increased awareness of green issues has led to a surge of green claims being made - voluntarily or otherwise - by businesses. This has resulted in a new wave of regulation and intervention to protect against "greenwashing".
As corporations are increasingly being publicly sanctioned and criticised for making misleading green claims, the consequences can be expensive, severe, and potentially catastrophic from a consumer trust perspective. A cautious and fully considered approach to making any statements around your company's green credentials is essential. Our expert lawyers can help.
The scrutiny of green claims is an evolving and increasingly important area of the law. New laws and regulations will be coming into force in 2024 in both the EU and the UK, and will impact all industries.
To protect your business, it's critical to understand the new legal and compliance landscape and to test your claims against it as soon as possible.
We can provide everything you need to undertake essential, strategic risk-based green claims reviews, including:
Find out how our specialists can support your business