As we all become more aware of our environmental, social and governance (ESG) responsibilities, businesses are finding responsible marketing increasingly tricky to navigate. And it seems false claims, however accidental they may be, always come out in the wash. So how can we keep our messaging responsible and avoid misleading our customers?

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We’ll get to that. But first, let’s talk about colourwashing.

Colourwashing is an umbrella term for any misleading claims a business makes regarding their corporate social responsibility.

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The name comes from whitewashing, which means covering up incriminating or unethical acts. It’s a deceitful tactic that’s been used throughout history, particularly in the century when governments and dictatorships became more concerned about their public image on a global stage.

“…colourwashing is an umbrella term for any misleading claims a business makes regarding their corporate social responsibility…”

While colourwashing isn’t always quite as morally reprehensible as totalitarian politics, it’s a definite blot on the marketing landscape. It breaks trust between businesses and their customers, partners and stakeholders.

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It can also be incredibly damaging to your reputation – not to mention any fines or legal action you may incur from breaking industry regulations or trading standards. So, what are the most common forms of colourwashing?

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Greenwashing

Greenwashing relates to claims around sustainability and environmental impact and it’s a huge problem both for consumers and businesses. As awareness around the climate crisis grows, more people want to make sustainable choices wherever they can. But this is made near impossible when companies are misrepresenting their sustainability credentials. In fact, 40% of green claims online are likely to be misleading.

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But because it’s such a complex area, not all greenwashing is a sign of intentional deceit. Many companies are making broad generalisations or using incorrect terminology without realising it.

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To provide better guidance in this area, the UK Competition and Markets Authority recently released its Green Claims Code, which sets out six key points to check whether your environmental claims are truly green.

“…40% of green claims online are likely to be misleading…”

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The Code outlines 6 key principles for communicating your green credentials:

• Claims must be truthful and accurate
• Claims must be clear and unambiguous
• Claims must not omit or hide the important relevant information
• Comparisons must be fair and meaningful
• Claims must consider the full lifecycle of the product or service
• Claims must be substantiated

Sustainability Marketing Guide, 2022

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It’s part of a move towards industries becoming more regulated and consumers becoming more educated around climate change. This is going to help those 40% of businesses step up, but it also means that the stakes are much higher for any accidental or misdirected claims.

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You can learn more about green claims and best practice by checking out our Sustainability Marketing Guide.

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Rainbow-washing

And then there’s rainbow-washing. Which sounds lovely. That is, until you realise there are businesses making money out of one of the world’s most marginalised groups – the LGBTQ+ community.

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Every year, June comes around and all the big brands switch to rainbow-coloured logos for Pride month, signalling their allyship. But many of these huge businesses operate in countries where it’s illegal to be gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. And some even fund the hate groups lobbying to revoke the community’s human rights.

“…in more than half the world, LGBTQ+ people aren’t protected from discrimination by workplace law…”

According to Stonewall research, in more than half the world, LGBTQ+ people remain unprotected from discrimination by workplace law. And over a third of the community in the UK have felt the need to hide their identity at work for fear of discrimination.  

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It's clear that there’s a disconnect between the way businesses are portraying themselves to consumers and what they’re actually doing to support their employees, communities and customers.  

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And while people around the world celebrate pride each year, many within the community feel that businesses have a long way to go before being invited to the party.  

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Bluewashing

The other important term to be aware of is bluewashing, which refers to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These goals cover all aspects of environmental, social and economic sustainability, and can often give the appearance that a company has a more robust ESG platform than they already do.

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Many organisations will promote these goals and mention them in proposals and on their websites, but without proactively working towards them. This is another example of a false claim – albeit more subtle.  

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It’s worth noting that much of this colourwashing is done accidentally through lack of awareness, research and training. But unfortunately, it can be through a lack of consideration too.  

“…it's clear that there’s a disconnect between the way businesses are portraying themselves to consumers and what they’re actually doing…”

But the fact is, consumers don’t like being misled. And neither do business customers.

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At Proctor and Stevenson, we work with a number of B2B organisations who are really invested in being part of the solution. And it’s clear that a lot of the positive movement towards corporate social responsibility is being driven through supply chain, partnerships and investors.  

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So it’s beneficial to start acting on these points and investing in environmental solutions – and, studies suggest, may even boost your bottom line.  

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So what’s the answer?

The best place to start is with action. Instead of telling people what they want to hear, let’s make all the positive changes we possibly can. Let’s be as transparent as possible about our current progress, and what we’re working towards.  

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We need to move past rainbow logos and pride banners and put schemes in place to support LGBTQ+ people at work.  

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And the same goes for sustainability. Let’s do away with the vague and fluffy language that implies we care about the environment, and put real action behind our commitments.  

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But Rome wasn’t built in a day – and neither were your favourite sustainable, eco-friendly businesses. It’s okay to start small and build up to B-Corp status or net zero emissions. It’s okay to be quietly working through your supply chain and making changes over time.  

“…much of this colourwashing is done accidentally through lack of awareness, research and training…”

We also need to be educating ourselves, getting to know the terminology and learning from each other. If we don’t actually know our credentials as a business or how to accurately phrase them, how can we develop honest messaging?  

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Let’s get to a point that we can be really proud of – a position that’s truly inclusive, responsible, and appealing. Then we can tackle the marketing.

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And, speaking of marketing, if you need help with anything from well-crafted, responsible messaging to digital marketing campaigns with impact, get in touch via marketing@proctors.co.uk