Over 970 companies have removed misleading anti-paper statements since Two Sides started its anti-greenwashing campaign in 2010.
Research in Europe, conducted by Two Sides and Censuswide in 2021, found that in Europe alone, greenwashing threatens the loss of 337m Euro of value annually to the paper, print and mailing industries.
“Greenwash claims – such as ‘Go Green, Go Paperless’ and ‘Choose e-billing and help save a tree’ – are in breach of established environmental marketing rules, but they are hugely damaging to an industry which has a solid and continually improving environmental record,” said Two Sides Europe MD Jonathan Tame. “Far from ‘saving trees,’ a healthy market for forest products such as paper encourages the long-term growth of forests through sustainable forest management. Many of the organisations we engage are surprised to learn that European forests have actually been growing by 1,500 football pitches every day.”
Globally, Two Sides has engaged over 2110 organisations making misleading statements about paper. So far, over 970 of them have removed such statements from their communications and Two Sides continues to engage and inform the remaining organisations. The organisations were located throughout Europe, North and South America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
In Europe, to date, 630 companies have removed unsubstantiated claims about paper, including Lloyds Bank, RAC, Scottish Power, N Brown Group, HSBC, to name a few.
“It remains vital that greenwash is challenged to ensure that the industry’s great environmental record is recognised and that the livelihoods of thousands of industry employees, as well as print, paper and postage volumes, are not damaged by the spread of misleading and opportunistic greenwash marketing,” Tame said.
