Two Sides reports rise in greenwashing, including packaging sector

Economic pressures continue to drive many cases of Greenwashing with numerous organisations that have previously relied on paper for customer communication shifting their customers from traditional paper-based services to digital platforms to cut costs. This transition is often accompanied by misleading and unsubstantiated environmental marketing claims like “Go Green – Go Paperless” or “Choose e-billing and help save a tree,” – but this is misleading and Greenwashing.

Consumer preferences are being ignored in the push to digital communications. Data from the 2023 Two Sides ‘Trend Tracker’ report revealed that 55% of European consumers believe that companies’ environmental arguments for switching to digital are misleading and are primarily about reducing company costs. Additionally, the research shows that 76% of consumers want the option to choose and do not want to be forced over to digital communications.

As corporate sustainability gains attention, other sectors like tissue and paper-based packaging are also facing greenwashing, with products being misleadingly marketed as more sustainable. These claims often cite various environmental reasons, such as the use of new or alternative fibre sources, but are frequently unsubstantiated.

Two Sides Europe managing director Jonathan Tame, said: “These greenwash claims not only breach established environmental marketing regulations but also harm an industry with a well-established and continually improving environmental track record.

“Far from ‘saving trees,’ a healthy market for forest products, such as paper, encourages the long-term growth of forests through sustainable forest management. Many of the organisations we challenge are surprised to learn that European forests have actually been expanding by the equivalent of 1,500 football pitches every day.”

Globally, Two Sides has engaged over 2,800 organisations making misleading claims about paper.

In Europe alone, 811 companies, including South West Water, New Look, BMW Financial Services and Deutsche Bank, have removed or changed these statements.

“It remains vital that these misleading messages are challenged to ensure that the industry’s great environmental record is acknowledged and to protect the livelihoods of thousands of people who work in the forest, paper, packaging and print sectors from the impact of opportunistic and deceptive greenwash marketing,” Tame said.