Addressing greenwashing through regulations

The report analyzes greenwashing regulations in 12 countries, finding that while core principles of truthfulness and transparency are common, there is significant uncertainty regarding what constitutes adequate evidence for substantiation. It highlights that current frameworks often place a disproportionate burden on SMEs and smallholders and suggests that the credibility of voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) needs clearer recognition criteria.

• Regulatory frameworks generally agree on core principles such as truthfulness, clarity, substantiation, and transparency, but they frequently fail to specify the requirements for adequate evidence, which creates risks of weak self-declared substantiation.
• The implementation of greenwashing regulations is hindered by the difficulty of obtaining verifiable data across complex value chains, and the uniform substantiation burden applied to all companies disproportionately impacts SMEs and smallholders who lack necessary resources.
• Although many regulations allow voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) to serve as evidence, there is a lack of clear definitions regarding the criteria that make these schemes credible, such as governance, independence, and audit quality.

APA

Verma,, F. S. (2026). Addressing greenwashing through regulations. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/reliability-of-claims-greenwashing

Chicago

Verma,, Florencia Sarmiento,Rupal. Addressing greenwashing through regulations. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2026. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/reliability-of-claims-greenwashing.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Verma, |first1=Florencia Sarmiento,Rupal |title=Addressing greenwashing through regulations |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=29 April 2026 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/reliability-of-claims-greenwashing |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{verma2026addressing, author = {Verma,, Florencia Sarmiento,Rupal}, title = {{Addressing greenwashing through regulations}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2026}, month = apr, url = {https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/reliability-of-claims-greenwashing}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }