Anti-greenwash charter

New charter launched to stamp out greenwashing in the built environment

[edit] Introduction

Specialist communications agency, Gusto and the Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP) have partnered to launch the Anti-Greenwash Charter in response to the alarming finding by the Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) that up to 40% of green claims made online in 2021 could be misleading.

To support a response from the construction sector and help mitigate against any potential legal action an organisation may face, as a result of the CMA’s review, the Charter has identified four key standards that any entity should adopt to help counter the problem of greenwashing and adhere to the Government’s Green Claims Code: transparency, accountability, fairness and honesty.

Richard Broad, Projects & Communications Manager, ASBP, said: “The findings of the CMA’s report are shocking but not wholly surprising. Since our inception ASBP has campaigned against greenwashing and continues to make the case for transparent and accurate product marketing. We welcome the introduction of the new Green Claims Code and look forward to working with Gusto on the Anti-Greenwash Charter to provide best practice guidance to encourage responsible communications within the construction sector.”

Signing the Charter enables organisations from the sector to make a public commitment to uphold these standards and eradicate unsubstantiated ‘green claims’ from their marketing and communication campaigns, whilst also participating in a learning programme exploring how to promote their business more responsibly. Finally, to ensure the Charter's standards are upheld, signatories will be subject to periodic reviews of their communication practices, carried out by Gusto.

[edit] The impact of greenwashing

In recent years, there has been a significant negative impact of misleading or false information on the speed of development of the UK’s sustainable built environment with, according to the UK Green Buildings Council (GBC), the construction industry still contributing approximately 40% of the UK’s total carbon footprint in 2021.

Greenwashing itself can come in many different forms, from promises made about targets to over-optimistic product specifications, but what is clear is that the public and customers alike have, at times, been subjected to poor standards of communication from within the UK’s construction sector.

In simple terms, greenwashing is hindering the dissemination of critical information needed to help us build more sustainably, and that is why a movement championing the use of more responsible messaging, is so critical.

[edit] Why sign the charter?

If an organisation upholds the highest standards of integrity and clarity when it comes to their marketing and communications, their commitment to sharing information responsibly should be recognised.

The Charter enables those organisations to make a public commitment to continue to implement marketing and communications campaigns that uphold the following key standards:

1. Transparency - a commitment to clear communication of what sustainability benefit a product or service offers, without concealment or omission of information.
2. Accountability - sustainability claims will be substantiated with accurate and regularly evaluated empirical evidence.
3. Fairness - a commitment to using fair, clear and unambiguous language when providing comparisons with products or organisations.
4. Honesty - only specific statements about an organisation’s sustainability efforts will be made and actions will match those promises.

What happens next?

Organisations that sign the Charter will be given permission to use the Anti-Greenwash logo on their branded materials to promote the quality of their communications. Furthermore, Gusto will offer free, strategic advice about how to market products and services responsibly, that reflects the Government’s own guidance as contained in the CMA’s new Green Claims Code. Finally, signatories will be contacted to arrange Gusto’s review of their communication practices and adherence to the Charter's standards.

Organisations interested in making the commitment, can sign the Charter here.

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings

• Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 CPRs.
• Green Claims Code.
• Green Technical Advisory Group GTAG.
• Greenwash.
• Sustainability.