The print and paper advocacy group said it had challenged companies that subject their customers to repeated greenwashing messages which are damaging to the paper, print, and mailing industry.
The organisation said that with huge pressures on the economy, banks, telecom providers, utility companies, and even governmental organisations are increasingly focused on switching their customers from paper to digital services to cut costs.
But it added their customer communications often attempt to mask these cost-saving efforts by justifying the switch with unfounded environmental marketing appeals such as ‘Go Green – Go Paperless’ and ‘Choose e-billing and help save a tree’.
Recent consumer survey results from Two Sides 2023 ‘Trend Tracker’ report revealed that 55% of European consumers believe environmental arguments from companies to switch to digital communications are misleading and are about reducing costs.
Two Sides Europe managing director Jonathan Tame described the greenwash claims as both being “in breach of established environmental marketing rules” as well as “hugely damaging to an industry which has a solid and continually improving environmental record”.
He also pointed out that a healthy market for forest products such as paper encourages the long-term growth of forests through sustainable forest management.
Globally, Two Sides has engaged over 2,100 organisations making misleading statements about paper. To date, it said that over 1,075 of them have now removed such statements from their communications, and that Two Sides continues to engage and inform the remaining organisations.
The businesses in question were located throughout Europe, North and South America, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.
In Europe, to date, 682 companies have removed unsubstantiated claims about paper, including Dunhelm, British Gas, Intermarche, American Express, and Sparebanken Vest, to name a few.
Tame added it remained vital that greenwash is challenged “to ensure that the industry’s great environmental record is recognised and that the livelihoods of thousands of industry employees, as well as print, paper and postage volumes, are not damaged by the spread of misleading and opportunistic greenwash marketing”.
Research conducted by Two Sides and Censuswide in 2021 found that in Europe alone greenwashing threatens the loss of €337m (£292m) of value annually to the paper, print, and mailing industry.
Two Sides said its anti-greenwash campaign continues to be a priority for the organisation, and it will continue to urge companies to reject the use of unsubstantiated and misleading environmental claims about going paperless in all of their communications.
The company has asked for any instances of greenwash found to be sent to greenwash@twosides.info.
