A few years ago, calling packaging “eco-friendly” was usually enough. A recycled content claim, a green leaf on the label, and a sustainability message somewhere on the website often ticked the box. Not anymore.
Today, brands are increasingly being asked a question many are not fully prepared to answer: Can you prove it?
That shift became much clearer in 2024 with the introduction of India’s greenwashing guidelines. Through the Central Consumer Protection Authority’s (CCPA) Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Greenwashing and Misleading Environmental Claims, the focus has moved beyond sustainability messaging and towards substantiation. Environmental claims are no longer judged solely on intent. They are increasingly being judged on evidence.
Sustainability Claims Are No Longer Taken at Face Value
The conversation around sustainability is changing. Regulators, consumers, investors, and business customers are becoming less interested in what brands say and more interested in what they can verify. This is not just an India-specific trend. An OECD report on environmental claims and consumer protection highlights growing concerns around misleading sustainability claims and the need for greater transparency and substantiation.
Broad terms such as “green,” “eco-friendly,” and “sustainable” are no longer safe defaults. Increasingly, businesses are expected to support claims with certifications, testing reports, supplier documentation, or other verifiable evidence.
Most Greenwashing Starts With Assumptions, Not Intent
What’s interesting is that most greenwashing doesn’t start with bad intentions.
A brand uses recyclable packaging and assumes it is sustainable. A supplier shares an environmental claim and nobody asks for supporting documentation. Marketing teams use sustainability language because it sounds accurate, while procurement teams work with information that never makes its way into the final claim.
And suddenly a claim is in the market that nobody can properly defend. That’s where the risk begins.
Why Packaging Has Become a Greenwashing Hotspot
Packaging sits at the centre of this challenge because it is one of the most visible parts of any product. Consumers see the package. Regulators see the package. Sustainability claims often live on the package.
Yet the evidence needed to support those claims usually sits somewhere else entirely, buried across supplier records, certifications, testing reports, and material specifications.
That disconnect is what makes packaging particularly vulnerable to greenwashing risks.
The Real Problem Isn’t Sustainability. It’s Visibility.
Most companies are not struggling because they lack sustainability ambition. They are struggling because the information needed to support sustainability claims is fragmented.
Supplier certifications sit in inboxes. Material specifications live in spreadsheets. Sustainability data is spread across teams and systems. When a claim needs to be verified, businesses often find themselves searching for information instead of accessing it.
The result is rarely deliberate non-compliance. More often, it’s confusion. And confusion is where greenwashing risks tend to appear.
The Question Has Changed: Can You Prove It?
The question is no longer whether a claim sounds credible. The question is whether it can be substantiated. Can the business show the certification? Can the supplier provide supporting evidence? Can the claim be defended if challenged?
The businesses that will navigate this shift successfully are unlikely to be the ones making the boldest sustainability promises. They will be the ones with the strongest documentation and the ability to connect packaging claims back to verifiable evidence.
Conclusion: If It Cannot Be Verified, It Should Not Be Claimed
The CCPA Greenwashing Guidelines are not about restricting sustainability conversations. They are about making them credible.
At Fitsol, we increasingly see sustainability claims becoming a data challenge as much as a compliance challenge. When supplier information, packaging specifications, certifications, and sustainability documentation are accessible and organised, substantiating claims becomes significantly easier. Because ultimately, sustainability claims are business claims. And if they cannot be verified, they should not be claimed.
FAQs
Our supplier says the packaging is sustainable. Is that enough?
Not really. Supplier claims are a starting point, not the finish line. Brands are increasingly expected to support sustainability claims with certifications, material specifications, testing reports, or other verifiable evidence.
Can a company be accused of greenwashing even if the mistake was unintentional?
Absolutely. Most greenwashing cases are not the result of deliberate deception. They happen when claims move faster than the evidence behind them.
What’s the biggest challenge companies face when substantiating packaging claims?
Usually, it’s not the claim itself. It’s finding the evidence. Supplier data, certifications, material specifications, and sustainability records often sit across multiple systems, teams, and suppliers.
What do you think is the biggest challenge in preventing greenwashing: supplier data, certification verification, internal processes, or claim substantiation? (Answer in the comment section.)
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