How can brands take steps to avoid greenwashing and inspire trust?

In recent years, the fear of being perceived as a ‘greenwasher’ has complicated brands’ sustainability efforts – sometimes even dooming them before they launch, and executives judge sustainability campaigns as too risky a proposition.

It would be nice to say that such fears were completely overblown or unfounded. But the truth is more complicated. In Kantar’s latest global Sustainability Sector Index, we asked people if they had seen or heard false or misleading information about sustainable actions taken by brands. Remarkably, 52% said they had.

How does this look by cohort? What the data tell us is that the younger the cohort, the more acute the perceptions of greenwashing: 35% were 55-65 year-olds, rising to 65% among 18-24 year-olds. As Gen Z and younger Millennials become the dominant economic force, this erosion of trust will become disruptive.

Furthermore, we’ve seen that the more that people think brands are greenwashing, the more they drop them out of their consideration set. It is a short step from mistrust to rejection.