5 ways to avoid greenwashing as a small beauty business

UK Greetings details how small businesses can avoid greenwashing, a deceptive marketing technique where brands make misleading claims about their environmental practices…

1. Keep communication clear

77% of UK customers don’t understand what companies are claiming when they talk about sustainability. This can lead to confusion, such as customers believing businesses are fully sustainable, when they might have only changed processes recently to reduce the carbon footprint of one area of their company.

Sending clear and consistent messaging, which isn’t contradictory, will ensure your business is advertising itself fairly.

2. Avoid overpromising

While you may be tempted to claim that your business will reduce carbon emissions by a certain percentage, for example, if this doesn’t happen it can lead to greenwashing claims.

Instead, make sure you are advertising your past efforts, which have suitable data to back them up. Sharing how you have helped the environment – rather than how you hope to – can mean that if plans fall through, your company isn’t liable.

3. Make partnerships

One way to ensure you are meeting some of your sustainability values is by partnering with other companies doing the same.

Making sure they share the same morals and values as you is important, as customers and the media will look to who you actively work with to represent these matters.

“As a small business, it is important that your reputation remains intact. Helping environmental efforts could be a big thing for your company – but marketing this must be done carefully.”

4. Utilise statistics

Supporting the environment is about being able to actionably quantify claims that your company is making efforts towards being sustainable. Your business should be able to provide data proving these claims.

Being unable to do so may not only damage the trust customers have in your business, but it could lead to legal action. In fact, 26% of all greenwashing lawsuits come from companies not being able to back their claims up with data.

For example, if your business claims to be reducing plastic use through changes to packaging, you need to be able to specify how much you are reducing plastic usage, if the replacement is environmentally friendly, and if this is happening across all products.

Being able to demonstrate your claims not only verifies your environmental efforts, but also validates your company as one which does as it says.

5. Hire environmental staff

Your business could hire a professional, such as a corporate sustainability officer, to assist in your social responsibility management, by considering the environmental implications of your business procedures.

If in any doubt about your company’s sustainable marketing, you should check in with a legal team. It can ensure your business isn’t making claims that are false or unsustainable.