Lead the Fight Against Climate Disinformation in 5 Strategic Steps

Greenwashing has become pervasive in many industries with direct environmental impacts, such as energy, construction, travel, and hospitality. 

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) warns that greenwashing undermines the credibility of legitimate sustainability efforts, erodes public trust, and slows down meaningful progress. 

There are two kinds of greenwashing: deliberate and unintentional.

Research indicates that approximately 25% of tweets refuting the science behind climate change are generated by automated accounts (bots). This act of disinformation, which means deliberately disseminating false or misleading information to manipulate, mislead, or create confusion, presents a pressing challenge for sustainability professionals: how can their team communicate genuine sustainability efforts without getting drowned out by misleading claims and PR spin? 

At the same time, in tourism and hospitality, many brands contribute to misinformation because of misunderstandings, lack of research, or reliance on inaccurate sources. 

This unintentional act stems from the pressure to appear sustainable in a competitive market, leading companies to overstate their environmental commitments, rely on ambiguous language like “carbon-neutral stays” without a robust verification, use flawed carbon offset programs, or misinterpret complex sustainability metrics. While well-intended, the misleading claims erode consumer trust and slow genuine progress.