Introduction
As signatories of The Anti-Greenwash Charter, we are committed to upholding good standards of responsible marketing practice. The purpose of this policy is to define the standards we adopt throughout our organisation to ensure green claims made about our products/ services are fair and substantiated.
This policy applies to all communication channels we use on behalf of ourselves and our clients, including marketing communication, PR, crisis and reputation management, content creation, design, digital marketing, and internal communications.
In addition to this policy, all communications will comply with the relevant local laws and regulations at all times.
Our Standards
Transparency
We commit to clear communication of what sustainability benefit our or our clients’ product or service offers and don’t conceal or omit information.
Accountability
We substantiate our and our clients’ sustainability claims with accurate, and regularly evaluated empirical evidence. We commit to sharing facts, f igures and statements that can be checked.
Fairness
We commit to using fair, clear and unambiguous language when providing comparisons with other products, services or organisations.
Honesty
We ensure we make specific statements about our organisation’s and our clients’ sustainability efforts and that our actions match those promises.
Our Practices
We implement the following practices and procedures to ensure we uphold the aforementioned standards:
- Clearly define the green terms we use
- Outline a clear editorial process
- Clarify our approach to evidence accumulation
- Detail the training we provide our employee
- Introduce our escalation procedure
- Commit to annual reviews and effective governance
Definitions
We define all the key ‘green’ terms we use to describe our and our clients’ products and services to ensure our claims are clear and transparent:
- Biodegradable: a substance or chemical that is biodegradable can be changed by the action of bacteria to a natural state that will not harm the environment
- biodiesel: a type of renewable fuel made from plant / natural oils or animal material and used in diesel engines
- biophilia: an innate love for the natural world – biophilic design is a concept used within the building industry to increase occupant connectivity to the natural environment through the use of direct nature, indirect nature, and space and place conditions
- byproduct: a substance that is produced during the process of making or destroying something else
- carbon emissions: carbon dioxide/monoxide that planes, cars, factories, etc. produce, thought to be harmful to the environment (pollution released into the atmosphere)
- carbon footprint: a measure of the amount of carbon dioxide that is produced by the activities of a person or company
- carbon offset: a way for a company or person to reduce the level of carbon dioxide for which they are responsible by paying money to a company that works to reduce the total amount produced in the world — for example, by planting trees
- circular economy: an economy that reuses and recycles resources to keep them in play for as long as possible
- climate change: changes in the Earth’s weather, including changes in temperature, wind patterns and rainfall, especially the increase in the temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere that is caused by the increase of particular gases, including carbon dioxide
- carbon neutral: when the amount of carbon dioxide produced has been reduced to nothing or is balanced by actions that protect the environment
- climate positive / carbon negative: activity that goes beyond achieving net-zero carbon emissions to create an environmental benefit by removing additional carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
- closed-loop: a system where everything is recycled and reused
- composting: the act of collecting and storing plant material so it can decay and be added to soil to improve its quality
- conservation: the protection of the natural environment
- deforestation: the cutting down of trees in a large area, or the destruction of forests by people
- eco-conscious: marked by or showing concern for the environment
- eco-friendly: not harmful to the environment
- ecological footprint: the amount of the Earth’s energy that someone or something uses
- energy efficient: used to describe things that use only as much energy as is needed without wasting any
- environmental impact: the direct effect something has on the environment
- fair trade: a way of buying and selling products that makes certain that the people who produce the goods receive a fair price
- freecycle: to give things that you do not want to other people to use instead of throwing them away
- global warming: the increase in temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere that is caused by the increase of particular gases, especially carbon dioxide
- gray water: water that has been used before / wastewater that can be reused for some purposes without purification
- green: a term that is used to describe behaviour, products, services, campaigns, policies, people, etc. that minimise environmental damage
- greenhouse effect: the problem of the slow steady rise in temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere
- greenhouse gas: any of the gases that are thought to cause the greenhouse effect, especially carbon dioxide
- greenwashing: behaviour or activities that make people believe that a company is doing more to protect the environment than it really is
- natural resources: raw materials supplied by nature
- net-zero: achieving a balance between emissions produced and emissions removed from the atmosphere; also known as carbon neutrality
- organic: produced or practiced without using artificial chemicals
- preservation: the act of keeping something as it is to protect it from being damaged or destroyed
- reclaimed: waste materials refurbished for new products
- recycle: to treat or process (used or waste materials) to make suitable for reuse
- reduce: preventing or decreasing the amount of waste being generated through waste prevention, recycling, or purchasing recycled and environmentally preferable products
- reforestation: the act of planting tree seeds or young trees in an area where there used to be a forest
- renewable energy: energy from a source that is not depleted when used, such as wind or solar power
- single-use: designed to be used once and then disposed of or destroyed
- sustainability: the ability to be sustained, supported, upheld, or confirmed; environmental practices that protect natural resources needed by future generations for a positive quality of life
- zero-waste: a situation in which no waste material is produced
If you come across a term that you don’t understand and can’t find it on this list, email Jo Sutherland for clarification.
Editorial Processes
Two members of the Magenta team, including one senior consultant or director, review every piece of content and any green claims before publication and distribution. When writing content, our team refers to our list of clearly defined terms (see above) and updates the list when using a new term. We actively encourage staff members to challenge green claims.
Evidence
We will compile evidence ready to clearly explain how we arrived at the conclusions shared in a green claim if, as and when requested.
Training
All new employees receive an in-house training session on our Green Claims Policy and The Anti-Greenwash Charter so they fully understand the issues and benefits.
We include clear documentation in our employee handbook so all our employees can refer back to it whenever needed. Each year, every employee attends a refresher training session to discuss changes to the policy.
Community / client engagement
Our clients provide a crucial role in our fight against greenwashing, which is why we commit to acting as an editorial board on their behalf and championing the Anti-Greenwash Charter’s standards throughout the lifecycle of a communications campaign. In addition, we commit to answering any emails about our or our clients’ green claims within five working days.
If you have any questions or feedback on this policy or our green claims, please email Jo Sutherland at jo@magentaassociates.co for clarification.
Regular Reviews
Being a signatory of the Anti Greenwash Charter is a continuous process. As such, we review our communications and marketing practices annually to ensure we are still compliant with any changes to the Charter.
This may involve carrying out annual internal audits of our content and checking references are up to date. We will also check for new developments in the industry that we can benchmark against.
Governance of this policy
Our MD is responsible for ensuring that our compliance with this Green Claims Policy is reviewed annually. Any non-compliance with this policy will be brought to the attention of the Board, who will decide on further actions and whether the matter should be escalated further.
Consultants and senior consultants are responsible for establishing and following practices, instructions and operating models in line with the Green Claims Policy on behalf of their clients.
Before entering new partnerships with third parties, such as clients and suppliers, we share our Green Claims Policy with them to encourage adoption of similar standards.
This Green Claims Policy has been approved &
authorised by:
Name: Jo Sutherland
Position: Managing Director
Date: January 2023
