Step 4: Promotion - Avoid 'Greenwash'

Congratulations! By now you have made some significant changes in your business and are well along the Pathway to Sustainability.

After all the hard work you have been putting into making your business sustainable, you might like to consider how you can get recognised for you efforts and educate visitors on your sustainability initiatives. Marketing is a useful tool in increasing awareness of green credentials and educating customers and suppliers on your response to sustainability, but it is important not to become caught up in ‘greenwash’.

“With ‘Climate Change’ and ‘Global Warming’ being a popular topic these days, customers are more aware of the need to act sustainably. Hence, they also look for it in businesses and will prefer to support an eco-friendly business.” (read more) - Kathy Townstead, Moreton Bay Research Centre

In promoting your sustainability achievements it is important to be aware of the Trade Practices Act and how it applies to green marketing. There are two main provisions in the Act affecting the way you make environmental claims.

• Misleading and deceptive conduct – wherein Businesses have an obligation not to engage in any conduct that is likely to mislead or deceive consumers.
• False or misleading representations – In addition to the general rule against misleading or deceptive conduct, the Act prohibits a variety of false or misleading representations about specific aspects of goods and services. False and misleading representations are more serious than general misleading and deceptive conduct and, where criminal proceedings are taken, can carry serious penalties under the Act—including fines of up to $1.1 million.

Building on the recommendations of the Trade Practices Act the principles of good green marketing are:

• Always be honest and substantiate any environmental claims. Don’t make broad statements that you can’t prove. In making claims, detail the specific part of the product or service that you are referring to and explain the significance of the benefit
• Use language which the average member of the public can understand
• Identify any genuine environmental benefits about your product or service that are outside of the norm. These will demonstrate your commitment beyond people’s expectations
• Include details of the natural environment in which your business is located and how you are working to conserve it
• Use recycled paper or sustainable forests for all your promotional materials
• Don’t be ashamed to talk about the obstacles you faced and how you overcame these. This is of great interest to others and will add a personal touch to your story
• Match your product/service to specific markets, and try to do regular/ongoing market research to identify green trends
• Use green marketing as an opportunity to reward those in your business who have been instrumental in the program’s success. The loyalty and motivation you will experience will likely be substantial and long lasting
• Work with your Regional Tourism Organisation and Tourism Queensland to tell your story!

Communicate your success internally and promote your sustainability achievements within your supplier and external network. Before doing this it is important you identify exactly who your different audiences are and understand the type of information they will be interested in hearing about.

Related Factsheets: