FESPA launches Anti-Greenwashing guide

Whilst its focus is largely aligned with tightening European Sustainability legislation, FESPA’s newly released Understanding and Avoiding Greenwash Anti-Greenwashing Sustainability Guide carries some key findings of relevance globally. The Guide is part of FESPA’s broader Sustainability Spotlight initiative.

The Guide highlights that even environmental claims which may be technically true, are still likely to be considered misleading if they omit relevant information, exaggerate benefits or fail to reflect the full lifecycle impact of a product. As such, generic statements such as ‘eco-friendly’ or even the word ‘sustainable’ are often used without substantiation and increasingly falling under regulatory scrutiny.

Research behind the Guide cites that ‘more than 53% of environmental claims are vague, misleading or unfounded, while 40% lack supporting evidence’. The EU alone currently has more than 230 sustainability labels and 100 green energy labels, many with varying levels of transparency and verification. The printing industry faces particular risks around terms like ‘biodegradable’, ‘compostable’, and ‘eco-friendly’.

To combat this, a key focus of the Guide is the growing importance of supply chain transparency. Even businesses that operate primarily in business-to-business markets may be required to provide evidence that supports sustainability claims made by their customers. As a result, organisations must maintain robust documentation and ensure that information from suppliers can support any environmental claims made about products or services.

The Guide also highlights upcoming regulatory developments, including the EU’s Directive on Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition, which will introduce stricter requirements on environmental claims when fully implemented by 2026. These changes are expected to place greater emphasis on substantiated claims, certification schemes and transparency around carbon-related claims and offsets.

In addition to regulatory compliance, the Guide encourages businesses to adopt a ‘lifecycle and systems-thinking’ approach to sustainability. By examining the full environmental impact of products – from raw materials and manufacturing to distribution, use and end-of-life – organisations can communicate accurately and effectively. This approach not only helps them to avoid greenwashing, it supports transparency across the supply chain too.

As sustainability continues to become a major purchasing criterion for brands and consumers alike, the pressure on businesses to demonstrate environmental responsibility grows. This new FESPA Guide, produced as a direct response to the unprecedented acceleration in green marketing and labelling, is designed to give businesses in and around the printing and graphic arts industry, practical and actionable guidance to help them to continue to respond to this changing landscape.

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