The Hidden Dangers of Greenwashing and How to Avoid It

In an era where consumers are increasingly conscious about their environmental impact, businesses everywhere have jumped on the sustainability bandwagon. Unfortunately, not every "eco-friendly" label is genuinely good for the planet. This practice, known as greenwashing, misleads well-meaning consumers into believing they’re making environmentally responsible choices when, in reality, they might not be.

What is Greenwashing?

Greenwashing is when a company presents itself as more environmentally responsible than it actually is, using marketing language, visuals, or certifications to give the impression of sustainability, without doing the meaningful work behind the scenes. It’s a form of deception, even if unintentional. Rather than investing in lower-impact materials, ethical sourcing, or cleaner production, greenwashing companies often spend their resources crafting the illusion of being “green.”

 

This might look like:

  1. Using vague terms like eco-friendly or natural without explanation.
  2. Highlighting minor sustainable features while ignoring larger environmental harms.
  3. Leveraging earthy branding or nature imagery to appeal emotionally, rather than substantively.
  4. Making unverifiable claims or hiding behind the word proprietary when asked about ingredients or sourcing.

The result? Well-meaning consumers are led to believe they’re supporting ethical practices, when in reality, their dollars are propping up business-as-usual systems that harm people and the planet.

Why is Greenwashing Dangerous?

At first glance, greenwashing might look like harmless exaggeration—just another marketing trick. But the truth is, it causes real, lasting damage to both people and the planet. Here’s why we believe it’s one of the most urgent challenges in the world of sustainability:

  1. Misleads Consumers: Most people who shop “eco-friendly” aren’t trying to chase trends—they’re trying to make better choices. But when a brand falsely claims environmental benefits, it confuses and misguides even the most thoughtful consumers. Someone may pay more for a product believing it supports ethical labor, reduces emissions, or avoids harmful chemicals—only to later discover the claim was hollow. That experience doesn't just waste their money; it undermines the meaning and impact of their intention. When companies distort the truth, they steal power from individuals trying to vote with their dollars.
  2. Hampers True Sustainability: There are brands, makers, and small businesses doing the hard work—rethinking their sourcing, investing in regenerative practices, and making every decision with care. But when greenwashing dominates the market, these efforts get drowned out by flashier, cheaper, less honest alternatives. Greenwashing creates a race to the bottom, rewarding image over integrity. The result?
    1. Funding is diverted away from genuine impact.
    2. Ethical companies are forced to compete with dishonest claims.
    3. Innovation slows because visibility is granted to the loudest, not the most responsible.
  3. Damages Trust: When people learn they’ve been misled, when the product they believed in turns out to be just another piece of clever packaging, it creates a ripple effect of disillusionment and distrust. Consumers may begin to doubt all sustainability claims. They may stop supporting even the companies that are doing things right. The damage spreads far beyond one brand or product. Once trust is broken, it’s incredibly hard to rebuild. That’s why, at Clear Mountain Provisions, we choose honesty even when it’s uncomfortable. We share our progress, our limitations, and our goals, not because it’s trendy, but because trust is the foundation of any truly sustainable business.

Common Greenwashing Tactics

Greenwashing doesn’t always look obvious. The most misleading tactics often hide in plain sight, camouflaged by calming language, curated aesthetics, and half-truths. Here’s how to spot the most common forms of greenwashing, and why they’re essential to question:

 

Vague Language

Words like “green,” “eco-friendly,” “non-toxic,” or “natural” may sound reassuring, but without clear definitions, certifications, or context, they’re essentially meaningless. Many companies rely on these feel-good terms without offering any proof to support them. “Natural,” for example, could mean anything from minimally processed to simply plant-derived—yet that ingredient might still be harmful to ecosystems or sourced unethically.

  • What to look for: Does the brand explain why something is eco-friendly or how it reduces harm? Are there third-party certifications to validate the claim? Transparency should always accompany bold statements.

Hidden Tradeoffs

Sometimes a product highlights one seemingly sustainable feature—like compostable packaging or “zero waste” design—while ignoring larger environmental impacts, such as emissions from transportation, use of petrochemical ingredients, or unsustainable manufacturing practices. This is called a “single attribute” claim, and it’s often used to distract from more significant issues. It’s like wrapping a plastic item in recycled paper and calling the whole thing green.

  • What to look for: Does the company address the entire lifecycle of the product—from raw materials to disposal? Are efforts to improve holistic, or just focused on one easy win?

Irrelevant Claims

A classic example: “CFC-Free.” That might sound environmentally conscious—except CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) have been banned in many countries for decades. Including it on packaging makes the product seem eco-responsible without doing anything beyond following the law. This tactic implies an environmental benefit where none truly exists, taking advantage of consumers who may not be aware of industry regulations.

  • What to look for: Is the claim highlighting something expected or legally required? Are you being sold on basic compliance instead of intentional stewardship?

Imagery Over Substance

Many brands dress their products in the visual language of sustainability: muted greens and browns, hand-drawn leaves, kraft paper packaging, and calming typography. While beautiful design isn’t inherently deceptive, when it's used without substance, it becomes part of the greenwashing toolkit. This approach uses aesthetic cues to emotionally suggest responsibility, even when the product itself has no meaningful environmental value.

  • What to look for: Is the visual message backed up with clear, measurable action? Does the brand communicate how it’s reducing harm—or just look like it is?

Lack of Transparency

Perhaps the most telling sign of greenwashing is a brand that won’t—or can’t—answer basic questions about their sourcing, ingredients, labor practices, or impact. If a company is genuinely committed to sustainability, they should welcome these questions—not avoid them. When you can’t find any detail beyond generic claims, or when a brand responds with vague reassurances instead of concrete information, it’s a red flag.

  • What to look for: Does the company publish detailed sourcing information, environmental metrics, or reports? Do they openly share progress and setbacks? Are they accountable to a third-party standard—or just their own marketing?

How Clear Mountain Provisions Combats Greenwashing

At Clear Mountain Provisions, we don’t claim to be perfect—but we are committed to being honest, traceable, and always evolving. Greenwashing tactics don’t just mislead—they dilute the meaning of sustainability. At Clear Mountain Provisions, we believe you deserve better: clear answers, honest sourcing, and products that truly reflect the values they claim to represent. Here’s how we walk our talk:

  • Radical Transparency: We believe people have a right to know what they’re buying—not just what’s in it, but where it came from and why it was chosen. That’s why we go beyond ingredient lists. We share sourcing decisions, supplier details when available, and even the challenges we face in finding better alternatives. If there’s uncertainty, we name it. If something isn’t ideal, we don’t hide behind green language—we talk about what we’re doing to improve. Transparency for us isn’t a trend—it’s a relationship built on trust, openness, and mutual respect.
  • Conscious Sourcing: Every material we use—from wax to wick, fragrance to packaging—is chosen with care. We evaluate suppliers based on their environmental practices, ethical labor standards, and supply chain transparency, not just cost or convenience. If a material doesn’t align with our values, it doesn’t make it into our products. Period. Even if it’s cheaper or easier. We look at the full lifecycle of our products:
    • Where do the raw materials come from?
    • Are they renewable or regenerative?
    • How are they processed?
    • Who’s impacted by their production?
  • The ScentSafe™ Standard: Home fragrance should never come at the cost of your health—or the planet’s. That’s why we created the ScentSafe™ Standard: a rigorous internal framework we use to evaluate every fragrance ingredient in our products, far beyond the minimum legal or industry requirements. We developed this standard because existing certifications didn’t go far enough for us. Too many allow known irritants, reproductive toxins, or chemicals of concern under vague terms like “clean” or “natural.” ScentSafe™ was designed to raise the bar for transparency, safety, and sustainability in home fragrance. Here’s what our standard means in practice:
    • Clean, Safer Ingredients: We screen every ingredient we use against the strictest safety lists, including the Environmental Working Group (EWG), IFRA guidance, and additional in-house research on environmental and human health risks.
    • Transparency and Traceability: We believe you deserve to know what you’re bringing into your home. While fragrance formulas are often considered “proprietary,” we don’t hide behind that excuse. We work only with suppliers who provide detailed disclosure of all fragrance components—so we can evaluate every ingredient, not just the top-level blend.
    • Environmental Integrity: ScentSafe™ also considers ecological impact. We avoid ingredients flagged as persistent bioaccumulative toxins (PBTs), restrict use of non-renewable petroleum derivatives, and prioritize biodegradable, plant-derived components wherever possible.
    • Safe for People, Pets, and Planet: Our candles, room sprays, and wax melts are created with indoor safety in mind. While no scent is ever entirely “inert,” our commitment is to reduce potential exposure risks, especially for sensitive individuals, children, and pets. That means no harsh synthetics, no endocrine disruptors, and no known respiratory sensitizers.
  • Continuous Learning: Sustainability is not a badge you earn and wear forever, it’s a living practice. We regularly audit our choices, monitor environmental research, and stay in conversation with suppliers, scientists, and the broader sustainability community. When we learn something new, we act on it. When better options emerge, we pivot. We also invite our community to hold us accountable. If you have a question, challenge, or suggestion—we want to hear it. Your curiosity makes us better.
  • No Greenwashing: We’ll never pretend to have it all figured out. If we haven’t made a change yet, we’ll explain why. If there’s a compromise, we’ll name it. We’d rather move slowly with integrity than rush into half-measures just to tick a box or make a claim. Because authenticity matters more than optics, and long-term trust matters more than short-term praise. You’ll never find vague claims or recycled buzzwords here. Just honest work, rooted in purpose.

How You Can Avoid Greenwashing

You don’t need a degree in environmental science to make better choices. Here’s how to protect yourself from misleading claims:

  • Ask questions. Where was it made? What is it made from? How are workers treated? If answers aren’t easy to find, that’s a red flag. We ask these same questions of our suppliers, even if it's uncomfortable.
  • Look for third-party certifications. Trustworthy labels include USDA Organic, Fair Trade, Certified B Corp, Leaping Bunny, FSC-Certified, and more. We created the ScentSafe certification because of this - prior to ScentSafe, there was no standard - anyone could say anything.
  • Support transparent brands. Choose companies that share their progress and their challenges. If a brand never admits imperfection, that’s a story in itself. Curious about our known challenges? Check out why we are using Soy Wax, and some of the challenges we are working through by doing so.
  • Dig deeper than the label. Marketing copy can say anything. Look for independent reviews, sourcing disclosures, and sustainability reports.

No Gimmicks. Just Growth.

We started Clear Mountain Provisions not just to make better products, but to do business in a better way. We know our community expects honesty, humility, and purpose. And we’re here to live up to that.

 

Greenwashing may be everywhere, but so is the power to choose differently. Every candle you light, every conscious purchase you make, is a step toward a world where sustainability means more than words. Thanks for being part of that journey with us.

Lighting the way to a greener future.