Understanding Greenwashing and Making Environmental Claims

The course equips you with the knowledge and skills to identify and avoid greenwashing, and develop credible ESG narratives. Topics covered include: greenwashing foundations; the role of marketing & communications in sustainability; and Principles for good ESG marketing & communications.

By the end of the course modules you should:

• Gain an understanding of basic sustainability principles through a series of content delivered by experts in sustainability. Measured with quizzes, discussions and reflections.
• Adopt strategies to avoid greenwashing via the analysis of contemporary case studies and through the application of the ACCC 8 principles for trustworthy environmental claims.
• Be able to create communications and marketing strategies that deliver positive ESG outcomes. Delivered by industry experts in marcomms for ESG- learners explore case studies and best practice principles for positive ESG outcomes.

‘Greenwashing’ is not only a threat to consumer trust but also to the environment. Misleading claims can reduce the consumer incentive to invest in genuinely sustainable products and undermine our social responsibility towards the environment.

As a result, businesses actively investing in improving their environmental sustainability are put at a competitive disadvantage to those participating in cost-effective greenwashing. Simultaneously, consumers actively attempting (and paying higher prices) to make genuine ‘green’ decisions are undermined by a breach of trust in the eco-friendly industry.

Indeed, greenwashing or the misrepresentation of environmental claims regarding goods and services, and investment strategies has implications for consumers and investors, overseen by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC), respectively.

This course is ideal for:

• Marketing professionals
• Sustainability professionals (formal or informal roles)
• If you are part of a sustainability subcommittee
• Want to be involved in an organisations sustainability strategy
• A communications or sustainability consultant

‍

Afonso Firmo is a Portugal-born, Uruguay-raised environmental engineer, who leads two climate-focused Australian companies. Afonso is the co-founder of NetNada, a sustainability and carbon accounting software company.

He is also the director of Pharmacycle, Australia's only end-to-end recycling solution for the nation's billion-sized blister pack problem. He is a serial entrepreneur, business and innovation academic, volunteer lifeguard, and recipient of an Australian Global Talent visa at 25.

As a migrant, Afonso leads the community-based Sydney Climate Crew and is ambitious about using cultural and technological lenses to democratise access to sustainability.