Greenwashing is the practice by companies of making misleading or unsubstantiated claims about products or activities in order to appear more environmentally friendly than they really are.
Greenwashing is reputationally dangerous and is unethical. It also presents multiple long-term risks to businesses and society. It weakens the efforts of those businesses actually working to improve their impact and create a better world. It misleads consumers looking to buy genuinely environmentally friendly products or to trade with environmentally minded companies. It risks eroding investor trust at a time when sustainable investment funds are gaining increased popularity. Greenwashing can damage a company’s valuation and it puts companies at risk of rebuke or investigation.
This podcast is taken from the FinBiz2030 webinar ‘Greenwashing’, produced by Chartered Accountants Worldwide.
In this episode, our host Daniel Thomas, Chief UK Business Correspondent for the Financial Times, moderates a round table discussion with all of the webinar guests.