Greenwashing terms to avoid at any cost

clock • 13 min read
Credit: iStock
Image:

Credit: iStock

Want to be true in advertising, earn trust and avoid lawsuits? Steer clear of this lingo (and use other terms with care)

Oh, what a tangled web they weave when businesses set out either to deceive consumers or aspirationally advertise green credentials they haven't earned. Too often, marketers fall into the trap of making...

To continue reading this article...

Join BusinessGreen

In just a few clicks you can start your free BusinessGreen Lite membership for 12 months, providing you access to:

  • Three complimentary articles per month covering the latest real-time news, analysis, and opinion from Europe’s leading source of information on the Green economy and business
  • Receive important and breaking news stories via our daily news alert
  • Our weekly newsletter with the best of the week’s green business news and analysis

Join now

 

Already a BusinessGreen member?

Login

More on Marketing

Could corporate biodiversity efforts become a new front for greenwashing?

Could corporate biodiversity efforts become a new front for greenwashing?

New research from RepRisk reveals incidents of alleged greenwashing relating to biodiversity projects have tripled over the past year

clock 08 October 2025 • 6 min read
'Live more sustainably': Ikea debuts new Energy Services range

'Live more sustainably': Ikea debuts new Energy Services range

Ikea partners with Aria and Soly to offer customers home renewable energy solutions

clock 08 October 2025 • 1 min read
'Greenhushing' is a trend that leaves businesses downplaying their environmental wins

'Greenhushing' is a trend that leaves businesses downplaying their environmental wins

Could 'greenhushing' do as much damage to businesses as the 'greenwashing' it is seeking to guard against?

Marta Nieto-Garcia, University of Portsmouth, Universidad de Salamanca; Diletta Acuti, University of Bath, and Nayla Khan, University of Portsmouth - The Conversation
clock 22 September 2025 • 4 min read