05. The dangers of greenwashing

In the latest episode of the Net Zero Hero podcast, I am joined by Helene Melby Brodersen - Head of ESG Strategy at EcoOnline, Nicky Hodgkiss-Cook - Marketing Manager at Modern Milkman, Rachel Watkyn – Founder of Tiny Box, and Georgie Cameroon - Founder and MD of Admiral Consultancy.

The corporate landscape is littered with examples of companies who have fallen foul of making false claims about their products and services. Probably most famous was VW with its emissions claims. But that is only the tip of the iceberg. Recently companies such as Innocent Drinks, IKEA, Quorn Foods, Starbucks and McDonalds have fallen into the greenwashing trap. Some greenwashing can lead to direct financial loss such as the VW example, others will damage a brand’s reputation which especially in this environmentally conscious era, can have equally damning effects.

Listen on to learn more about greenwashing and how to avoid making false or unsubstantiated claims.