Nine purpose-led consumer brands have shared how they are changing the way they communicate sustainability claims, as regulators demand greater evidence and precision from businesses.
COOK, Huel, Tony’s Chocolonely, Riverford, Nc’nean, Smol, Nice Rice, Naked Paper and Here We Flo met under the Chatham House Rule in a roundtable convened by The Anti-Greenwash Charter. Their discussion points to a common approach: make claims specific, keep them within the limits of what the evidence proves, and make that evidence readily available.
“The easy part is being factual: you do not say anything that is untrue,” one participant said. “The hard part is making the fact land: saying something that interests people and that they understand.”
The discussion is published today in a new report, Trusted Communications for Purpose-Led Brands.
One theme that came up repeatedly: a claim that starts out fully evidenced can lose that scope as it’s shortened for a pack, an advert or a headline. Several participants said the answer lies less in any single edit and more in bringing marketing and sustainability teams together earlier in the process, so evidence and context are built in from the start rather than trimmed at the end.
The report sets out several practical principles: favour precise claims over sweeping language, back them with evidence, use credible third-party certification where relevant, keep claims intact when they’re shortened for packaging or advertising, and hold a single, regularly reviewed source of approved claims across the business.
Participants said product-level specificity can be a real advantage. “Many competitors cannot make this specific claim, but we can state it with confidence because it is true and evidence-based,” said one.
Another highlighted the risks created when accurate claims are shortened or separated from their original context. “Approved claims need to be reviewed regularly, and a shortened claim must retain its scope,” they said. “A percentage reduction, for example, should make clear which product and comparison it applies to.”
The discussion comes as regulation of environmental marketing tightens in both the UK and EU.
In the UK, the Competition and Markets Authority has had strengthened powers to enforce consumer law directly since April 2025, including the ability to impose significant financial penalties for breaches.
From 27 September 2026, new EU rules will apply to environmental claims and sustainability labelling. They introduce tighter restrictions around generic environmental claims, sustainability labels that are not based on approved certification schemes or established by public authorities, and claims that a product has a neutral, reduced or positive greenhouse-gas impact where that claim is based on offsetting.
Charlie Martin, Founder and CEO of The Anti-Greenwash Charter, which convened the roundtable, said: “The message from these businesses is not that brands should stop talking about sustainability. It is that they need to get better at it.
“The strongest claims are specific enough for people to understand, useful enough for people to care about, and supported by evidence that can withstand scrutiny. That is better for consumers, better for responsible businesses and ultimately better for trust.”
The full report is available from The Anti-Greenwash Charter.
