Environmental greenwashing: how to avoid it and improve corporate sustainability

The term greenwashing denotes the practice of deceptively communicating a company's environmental commitment, emphasising marginal sustainable actions and obscuring impactful ones. Derived from 'green' and 'whitewashing', the concept caught on in the 1990s, when growing consumer awareness of the environment began to influence purchasing choices. In the absence of a real sustainable strategy, many companies adopt environmental marketing techniques to appear green without actually being green. This information distortion damages the confidence of the public and holds back real change. Greenwashing materialises as a strategic and reputational risk for any organisation. As regulations increase, companies must actually demonstrate their impact, on pain of financial penalties, exclusion from public tenders and loss of investors.

greenwashing exposes companies to serious reputational risks: once discovered, it undermines the trust of consumers, partners and investors, with direct consequences on sales and brand value. Consumers, today more aware and informed, demand transparency and verifiable data, and react strongly to broken environmental promises, amplifying online discontent. ESG investors also tend to disinvest from companies without concrete and measurable commitments. This is compounded by a more stringent legislative framework: the Directive 2024/825/EU and the Article 13 of Directive 2005/29/EC impose stringent requirements on environmental disclosure. In Italy, the AGCM can sanction unfair practices with fines based on turnover.

Communicating sustainability correctly is not only a safeguard against greenwashing, it is also a powerful positioning and growth tool. A transparent communication strategy strengthens the confidence of the public, improves the brand reputation and creates engagement with customers, stakeholders and talent. Consumers reward companies that demonstrate consistency between what they claim and what they do. Genuine sustainability thus becomes a differentiator in the marketplace. Moreover, effective communication allows attracting funding and incentives, in a context where European policies reward virtuous realities. To achieve these results, it is essential to equip oneself with the right tools: sustainability reports drawn up according to recognised standards (such as GRI or ESRS), verified environmental certifications, and qualified staff in environmental communication.

To combat greenwashing practices, the European Union introduced the Directive 2024/825/EU, part of the strategy "Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition". In force since 2026, the directive expressly prohibits generic, unprovable or misleading environmental claims. For example, claims such as '100 per cent environmentally friendly' are prohibited if not supported by independent certification, or the use of green labels that have not been verified by recognised bodies. It is also forbidden to attribute 'zero impact' to the product based on non-transparent offsets. The legislation aims to make environmental claims more credible, protecting consumers and promoting fair competition between companies. Companies will have to adapt by developing internal systems to control environmental information, based on recognised standards such as ISO 14001, EMAS or the GRI guidelines.

This article has been realised within the project "Biodiversity services EU expansion" (CUP: E43D22000480009) in the framework of the Lombardy Region's call for tenders "PR FESR 2021-2027 - LINEA INTERNAZIONALIZZAZIONE 21-27", aimed at supporting the internationalisation of Italian companies. 3Bee is the naturetech company that develops innovative technologies for monitoring, protecting and regenerating biodiversity, supporting companies in defining customised climate strategies based on the analysis of their impacts and dependencies on nature. With an established portfolio in Italy, Germany and France and prominent partnerships, 3Bee continues its expansion into international markets to create real impact through technology.