Greenwashing
How does Greenwashing happen in promotional products?
Greenwashing can occur when a product highlights one environmentally positive feature while ignoring other significant impacts. For example, a promotional item might be described as “eco-friendly” because it contains recycled material, while no information is provided about its percentage of recycled content, manufacturing process, or certification.
This does not necessarily mean the product is misleading. The issue is whether the environmental claim is specific, accurate, and supported by evidence.
Businesses purchasing sustainable promotional products should therefore look beyond marketing language and ask suppliers for clear information about materials, certifications, manufacturing, and supply chains.
5 Red Flags of Greenwashing
- 1. Vague Environmental Claims
Terms such as “green”, “eco”, or “planet-friendly” can be difficult to evaluate when they are not supported by specific information. - 2. No Certification or Evidence
A supplier making a sustainability claim should be able to provide supporting information where appropriate, such as recognised certifications or details about recycled content. - 3. One Small Green Feature is Heavily Promoted A product may contain a small amount of recycled or natural material while the rest of its environmental impact remains unexplained.
- 4. No Information About the Supply Chain
If a supplier cannot explain where materials come from, how the product is manufactured, or where it is produced, buyers may have difficulty evaluating its overall environmental impact. - 5. Sustainability Claims That Sound Too Good to Be True
Absolute claims such as “100% eco-friendly” or “zero environmental impact” should be treated carefully. Sustainability involves multiple factors, and promotional products can still have environmental impacts even when they use recycled or renewable materials.
How can businesses avoid Greenwashing?
B2B buyers can use a simple checklist when evaluating environmentally responsible promotional products:
- Ask what makes the product sustainable.
- Check the percentage of recycled, renewable, or certified material.
- Look for recognised certifications, such as FSC for relevant forest-based materials.
- Ask about manufacturing and supply chain information.
- Find out whether environmental claims have been independently verified.
- Compare the claim with the product’s overall lifecycle, including packaging, transportation, and disposal.
The goal is not to find a promotional product with zero environmental impact, but to choose products where sustainability claims are specific, transparent, and supported by evidence.
Extra thin 15W charging base, in recycled aluminum, customizable with mirror logo.
Transparent 15W induction base in acrylic, customisable with an LED logo.
15W MagSafe charger in recycled aluminum, customizable with LED logo.
15W wireless charging base made with PU-leather and ABS with soft-touch finishing, and customizable with a ligthing logo.
15W wireless charging base made with ABS soft-touch and acrylic customizable with an offset ligthing logo. Thanks to the acrylic plate and the offset printing, this base offers a high-quality digital logo.
This 10W charger has been designed to be environment-savvy : the stucture is wood, with customizable lighting logo.
Frequently Asked Questions
An example would be describing a promotional product as “eco-friendly” without explaining what makes it environmentally responsible or providing evidence to support the claim.
Businesses should look for specific claims, supporting evidence, recognised certifications, information about materials and manufacturing, and transparency throughout the supply chain.
Not necessarily. Recycled materials can reduce the need for virgin resources, but businesses should also consider the product’s manufacturing, transportation, durability, packaging, and end-of-life.
Greenwashing can make it difficult for businesses to distinguish genuinely responsible promotional products from unsupported environmental claims. Clear information helps companies make more confident and responsible procurement decisions.
