More and more, shoppers are thinking about the impact the products they buy have on the environment. What is the packaging made from, and is it recyclable? What ingredients are being used? How is it manufactured?
Here at Bio-D, we are so pleased that sustainability is becoming a key consideration in the nation’s shopping decisions. Creating powerful cleaning products without costing the earth since 1989, we care about helping our customers make eco-conscious choices.
However, a rise in sustainable shoppers has also seen a significant rise in greenwashing.
Greenwashing is the practice of making misleading claims about the environmental benefits of a product or service.* And it is particularly common in the household cleaning product sector. In fact, there has been an estimated 50% increase in reported greenwashing incidents from 2022 to 2023.**
This rise in greenwashing means that unfortunately shoppers are finding it hard to trust different brands’ environmental claims. And with so many, who can blame them?
Despite the increase in greenwashing, we can assure you that creating sustainable products is far more than wording on our labels.
We can proudly say that every claim we make is in accordance with the UK’s Green Claims Code.
The Green Claims Code sets out six key points for businesses to check its environmental claims are genuinely green. Created by the Competition and Markets Authority, it helps businesses be honest with credentials, and consumers to trust its claims.
When making a green claim, a business should also be able to answer ‘yes’ to each of the following statements:
Our sustainability team works hard to ensure each and every sustainability claim we make aligns with the above guidance. This is of key importance so that customers can trust us as a brand, and see that our processes are as important as the finished products.
For businesses looking to improve their sustainability credentials according to the Green Claims Code, our sustainability manager Heather recommends:
✅ Understanding your carbon footprint
Heather says: “This is an important first step. Before we began measuring and reporting on our emissions we were doing what we thought were the right things. But having the data meant we could understand our true impact, and prioritise activities that would make the most difference.”
✅ Setting annual targets
“Setting targets as part of an overall carbon reduction plan is vital for progress and momentum. They don’t have to be big – the smaller stuff is important too!”
✅ Set five to 10 goals
“Set five to 10 goals to help you stay focused, making sure they all align with the Green Claim Code. It might take time, but it’s an amazing feeling once you see the changes you can make.”
Interested in finding out more? Heather spoke to Oh Yes! Net Zero about our carbon reduction initiatives. Oh Yes! Net Zero is a movement of Hull and Humber-based organisation committed to taking action to achieve their net zero ambition.
You can find out more about our mission to minimise our environmental impact in our latest Sustainability and Impact Report.
**https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/misleading-environmental-claims
