Greenwashing compliance: What to fix before it’s too late
October 22, 2025Greenwashing compliance demands proof, not promises. Learn how verified product data and PIM help brands substantiate sustainability claims and stay ahead of regulation.
Sustainability sells, but without proof, it becomes greenwashing. Across industries, brands promote recycled materials, eco-friendly packaging, and ethical sourcing, but often lack transparency in their supply chains.
A European Commission review found that 53% of green marketing statements were vague, misleading, or unsubstantiated, and 40% lacked supporting evidence, prompting new regulations, including the EU Green Claims Directive, the UK Green Claims Code, and the FTC Green Guides in the U.S.
This article explores the current state of greenwashing and how a robust product information management (PIM) foundation can help your business stay compliant and protect customer trust.
What does greenwashing look like today?
Greenwashing occurs when a company misleads customers about the environmental impact of its products, services, or operations. It includes overstating recycled content, claiming energy efficiency without proof, or emphasizing one “green” feature to distract from broader environmental impacts.
Although it often starts with good intentions, the impact is serious—it erodes trust, misleads buyers, and creates unfair competition for brands pursuing genuine sustainability. It can also create legal exposure as governments tighten disclosure requirements for environmental claims.
Fashion and apparel
Problem:
Vague eco-language and selective transparency remain prevalent in fashion, particularly within fast production cycles where sustainability promises often outpace actual verification.
Evidence:
Research shows how brands often promote sustainability through recycled-fiber or “conscious” collections without traceable data or supplier validation. A 2021 analysis of sustainable fashion lines revealed broad environmental claims with limited evidence of sourcing, while a 2024 study on green marketing campaigns linked vague eco-labeling to weakened consumer trust. A 2023 review of greenwashing in fashion further underscored the lack of measurable, verified sustainability metrics across global supply chains.
Inriver in action:
Pandora and WE Fashion use Inriver PIM to centralize product data across markets, ensuring verified sourcing, consistent sustainability messaging, and faster updates as environmental standards evolve. This connected data model turns sustainability from marketing language into measurable, traceable proof.
Food and beverage
Problem:
In the food and beverage industry, greenwashing often stems from claims about “organic,” “natural,” or “low-carbon” products that lack verified sourcing, measurable data, or transparent certifications.
Evidence:
A 2024 study by Tikkha et al. identified misleading eco-claims and unverified sustainability labels as common across packaged goods and beverages. Similar findings emerged in regulatory actions on recyclability and sourcing claims, underscoring how unclear definitions of “ethical” or “sustainable” marketing can blur compliance boundaries.
Inriver in action:
Lantmännen, a Nordic leader in agriculture, bioenergy, and food products, uses Inriver PIM to unify data across brands and markets, ensuring verified sourcing and consistent sustainability proof. LIVEKINDLY Collective centralizes certifications and sustainability attributes to build credibility in plant-based product storytelling and ESG reporting.
Furniture and home goods
Problem:
Many furniture and home goods companies have faced scrutiny for promoting “sustainably sourced wood,” “organic materials,” or “eco finishes” without verifiable proof of origin or transparent supplier documentation, leaving room for misleading marketing.
Evidence:
Investigations into uncertified timber sourcing, weak supply chain verification, and lawsuits challenging unproven organic or non-toxic claims reveal the ongoing risk of partial or unsubstantiated sustainability messaging. Without verified data, furniture makers struggle to maintain compliance and certification integrity.
Inriver in action:
Søstrene Grene uses Inriver PIM to manage product data for thousands of SKUs, ensuring accurate sustainability details across digital channels. Jordan’s Furniture leverages the same foundation to synchronize product attributes, improve transparency, and maintain consumer trust through consistent, verifiable product information.
Electronics and appliances
Problem:
Consumer electronics manufacturers have been criticized for overstating sustainability—particularly around “carbon neutral” and renewable energy goals that lack verifiable data, as discussed in recent industry analyses on sustainability gaps and legal reviews of green claims.
Evidence:
Independent reviews indicate that unverified carbon offsets, incomplete lifecycle data, and limited supply chain visibility continue to be key drivers of non-compliance in electronics manufacturing.
Inriver in action:
Marshall Group utilizes Inriver PIM to integrate product data across global systems, ensuring accuracy in sustainability communication and compliance. Vogel’s leverages Inriver as the central engine behind their product information management, acting as a unified repository for all product data and integrating seamlessly into Vogel’s digital ecosystem.
Cosmetics and personal care:
Problem:
Beauty and personal care companies frequently market “clean,” “eco,” or “non-toxic” products without full ingredient transparency or third-party verification—creating risk as sustainability claims face stricter regulatory oversight.
Evidence:
A CNN report found that 75% of beauty brands fail to disclose complete ingredient details. Similar concerns surfaced in analyses of misleading packaging and formulation claims as well as lawsuits over deceptive sunscreen labeling, highlighting the growing compliance challenge around proof-backed sustainability.
Inriver in action:
Matas Group uses Inriver PIM to manage product information across thousands of SKUs, ensuring ingredient transparency and consistent sustainability claims across channels. Metagenics leverages Inriver to connect compliance documentation with marketing content, guaranteeing that verified health and sustainability data appear wherever consumers engage.
Textiles and home fabrics
Problem:
In textiles, greenwashing often stems from focusing on recycled content while overlooking broader lifecycle impacts such as dyeing, water use, or chemical processing, making it challenging to validate sustainability claims.
Evidence:
A 2024 review in Environment, Development and Sustainability found that inconsistent eco-labeling, weak lifecycle data, and poor transparency continue to be key drivers of greenwashing in the textile sector. The EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles emphasizes the importance of traceability, recyclability, and transparent data disclosure.
Inriver in action:
Living Spaces uses Inriver PIM to unify product information and digital assets, ensuring traceable material data and transparent sustainability details across online and in-store channels. This centralized model strengthens both customer confidence and compliance readiness.
Footwear
Problem:
The footwear industry’s sustainability messaging often emphasizes “circular” or “carbon-neutral” design without substantiated lifecycle data, especially in material sourcing, recyclability, and end-of-life recovery.
Evidence:
A 2024 study on circular economy practices in the footwear industry identified material complexity and limited recyclability as major barriers to achieving sustainability verification. Legal reviews of misleading “compostable” and “biodegradable” claims in consumer products highlight growing scrutiny of brands overstating environmental benefits without measurable evidence.
Inriver in action:
New Balance leverages Inriver PIM to manage product data accuracy across its global operations, linking sustainability attributes, material sources, and certifications within a single, connected ecosystem. This ensures lifecycle transparency and compliance across every retail and digital channel.
What to fix before it’s too late
Greenwashing stems from one problem: sustainability claims built on incomplete or disconnected product data. Fixing it starts with verified, connected information that transforms sustainability language into measurable product compliance management.
| Industry | What to fix |
|---|---|
| Electronics and appliances | Review your energy efficiency and recyclability data across every system. In many cases, supplier inputs aren’t validated or kept current. A connected PIM for electronics and appliances keeps every claim traceable, and audit-ready. |
| Food and beverage | Unify data from ingredient sourcing to packaging. When carbon footprint, fair trade, or organic certifications sit in silos, verification becomes impossible. Centralized product data strengthens sustainability and omnichannel visibility. |
| Fashion and apparel | Standardize data on materials, supply chain certifications, and circular production practices. A PIM for fashion maintains verified sustainability data across collections and channels. |
| Textiles and home fabrics | Map material origins, emissions, and recyclability data to prepare for upcoming traceability mandates, such as the Digital Product Passport for textiles. |
| Furniture | Consolidate certifications and composition data for all materials. A PIM for furniture validates “recycled” and “sustainably sourced” claims before scrutiny begins. |
| Cosmetics and personal care | Connect ingredient documentation and certifications to your product content. A Digital Product Passport for cosmetics ensures ingredient transparency and compliance proof. |
| Footwear | Capture lifecycle data, from materials and adhesives to recovery systems, to validate “carbon neutral” or “circular” design claims. The Digital Product Passport for footwear. Strengthens compliance readiness. |
What is PIM’s role in building green compliance?
Meeting green compliance challenges starts with managing and verifying your product data effectively. A PIM system gives you control, turning sustainability commitments into traceable, auditable proof that meets evolving compliance and business needs.
A PIM, like Inriver, serves as the single source of truth where sustainability, compliance, and product storytelling align. It helps you:
- Centralize sustainability attributes and documentation to strengthen product data compliance so your team works from verified data.
- Track and version eco claims to maintain a clear audit trail.
- Link marketing content directly to verified data for consistency across all channels.
- Prepare for Digital Product Passports by structuring information for transparency and traceability.
- Strengthen compliance readiness by ensuring every published claim can be substantiated.
Lantmännen, a leading Nordic conglomerate in agriculture, machinery, bioenergy, and food products, uses Inriver to unify product data across brands and regions. The system supports verified sourcing, regulatory compliance, and transparent communication around sustainability initiatives.
Stop greenwashing at the source with PIM
Greenwashing isn’t always deliberate. It often begins with good intentions, but without verification, disconnected data, and inconsistent messaging turn promises into risk.
A PIM connects sustainability, compliance, and product information in one verifiable single source of truth. With traceable data behind every claim, your brand moves from vague sustainability language to measurable, defensible proof.
As regulations tighten and scrutiny grows, the risk of greenwashing will rise. Managing verified product data through Inriver strengthens supply chain transparency and ESG performance, turning compliance into opportunity and sustainability into trust.
Turn sustainability proof into a competitive advantage. Contact Inriver today to build your foundation with confidence.
Want to see the Inriver PIM in action?
Schedule a personalized, guided demo with an Inriver expert today to see how the Inriver PIM can get more value from your product information.
