The Future of Responsible Communication.

An evening of insight, stories and connection.

On a wet January evening in London, something quietly important happened.

On Tuesday 27 January 2026, sustainability, communications and ESG leaders gathered at Swedenborg Hall for The Future of Responsible Communication, an in person event hosted by the Anti Greenwash Charter. The room was full. The conversation was honest. And the question at the heart of the evening was clear.

Who is responsible for responsible communication, and what does accountability really look like in 2026?

From uncertainty to clarity

Opening the evening, Charlie Martin, Founder and CEO of the Anti Greenwash Charter, set the scene.

He described the modern communications landscape as something of a “Wild West”. A world where the volume of content has exploded, but shared standards have not kept pace. Digital acceleration, social media and pressure to perform have created conditions where trust in claims, information and communication is at an all time low.

Regulation, Charlie acknowledged, plays a vital role. Frameworks like the UK’s Green Claims Code establish a baseline for what not to do. But they do not define leadership.

Rules show organisations where the floor is. They do not show what good looks like.

That gap between compliance and credibility is where the Charter sits. Not as a regulator, but as an independent standard that helps organisations prove, publicly and consistently, that they are communicating responsibly.

Why responsible communication matters

Charlie went on to connect the dots between trust, confidence and progress.

When trust erodes, confidence suffers. Decisions slow down. And when decision making falters, meaningful progress on environmental and social issues slows with it.

In a world grappling with misinformation, polarisation and the rise of “my truth” narratives, responsible communication is no longer a nice to have.

It is a condition for change. It can act as an accelerator rather than a brake on progress.

The Charter’s four core standards, Transparency, Accountability, Fairness and Honesty, provide a shared foundation that organisations can commit to, embed internally and demonstrate externally. This is not about perfection. It is about integrity.

And crucially, it is about confidence. In a landscape where greenhushing is as real a risk as greenwashing, organisations need support to speak clearly, accurately and with assurance.

Beyond principles, embedding responsibility in practice

One of the key insights from Charlie’s introduction was that principles alone are not enough.

While the Charter supports organisation wide governance, culture and standards, signatories have been clear about what they need next. They want support at the content level.

This insight led to the development of truMRK, the Charter’s sister initiative, which provides independent verification of individual pieces of communication. By assessing claims, language and context, truMRK helps organisations ensure that what they publish is accurate, substantiated and not misleading by omission.

Together, the Charter and truMRK form a complementary system.

One embeds responsible communication culturally. The other supports it practically, campaign by campaign.

Who is responsible for responsible communication?

Following Charlie’s introduction, the evening moved into a panel discussion hosted by Oliver Parry, Senior Adviser to the Anti Greenwash Charter.

He was joined by Alastair McCapra, CEO at the CIPR, Saul Humphrey, Senior Vice President at CIOB, and Lara Sharrock, Director of Sustainability at Emperor.

The discussion explored accountability across roles and disciplines. From leadership teams and sustainability professionals to marketers, agencies and communications specialists. A clear theme emerged.

Responsible communication is a shared responsibility, but it requires clear ownership, strong governance and the confidence to challenge weak or misleading claims.

Credibility is not built through silence or exaggeration. It is built through openness, evidence and consistency over time.

A community built on trust

The evening closed, as all good conversations should, with people talking to one another.

Over drinks and informal discussions, signatories, collaborators and new faces continued the debate. They shared challenges, asked questions and found reassurance in the fact that many organisations are navigating the same tensions.

That sense of community is intentional. The Charter is not about calling organisations out. It is about bringing them together.

Looking ahead

The Future of Responsible Communication was not about predicting trends. It was about setting direction.

As expectations rise and scrutiny intensifies, organisations that can demonstrate integrity in how they communicate will be the ones that earn trust, reduce risk and lead with confidence.

The Anti Greenwash Charter exists to support that journey.

It provides independent recognition, practical guidance and a shared standard for what responsible communication looks like in practice.

Because the future of sustainability does not just depend on what organisations do. It depends on how honestly, clearly and responsibly they communicate it.

Communicate About Sustainability with Confidence

If your organisation wants to protect its reputation, reduce greenwashing risk, and communicate sustainability with confidence, we’d love you to join us.

📢 Become a signatory of The Anti-Greenwash Charter.
Shape the future of responsible communication and show stakeholders what honest, trusted sustainability leadership looks like.

Join the Charter →

What Signatory Status Really Means and Why It Builds Trust.

A closer look at what signatory status represents in practice, how organisations put the Charter’s standards into action, and why it strengthens trust across every stakeholder relationship.

Signatory status is a clear signal that an organisation communicates about sustainability in an honest, responsible and transparent way. It shows that claims have been reviewed, supported with evidence, and aligned with recognised standards of good practice.

It is not just a label. Signatory status reflects a genuine commitment to integrity and a willingness to communicate with clarity and accountability.

As Charlie Martin, Founder of The Anti-Greenwash Charter, explains:

“Becoming a signatory isn’t about saying you are perfect. It’s about showing that you welcome scrutiny and that you want to communicate with integrity.”

A Commitment to High Standards

Signatory status means an organisation has chosen to adopt the Charter’s four core standards:

• Transparency: being open about progress, challenges and evidence.

• Accountability: taking responsibility for the claims it makes.

• Fairness: presenting information in a balanced and accurate way.

• Honesty: avoiding exaggeration or misleading language.

These principles guide how an organisation communicates and how it evaluates the sustainability information it shares. The result is not only more credible communication, but also clearer internal processes and greater confidence among teams.

Below are real examples from current signatories and how these standards have shaped their communication.

Case Study: Karndean Designflooring

Why they joined

Karndean is a global flooring manufacturer. Sustainability is increasingly central to their strategy, and the business wanted an independent benchmark to ensure that their sustainability messaging is accurate, consistent and evidence-led across all regions.

Karndean explained their decision to join with a simple statement:

“You can trust that claims about Karndean products and operations are fair, accurate and substantiated.”

What changed

• The business developed a Green Claims Policy to guide every region.

• Sustainability language on websites and marketing materials was reviewed and strengthened.

• Teams now follow a shared process for checking and approving claims.

Impact

Customers, retailers, investors and partners can rely on the consistency of Karndean’s claims, no matter the market. For the business, the Charter provides confidence that sustainability communication supports both trust and long-term reputation.

Read Full Case Study →

Case Study: Edward Bulmer Natural Paint

Why they joined

The natural paint market is crowded with vague terms like “eco friendly” and “non toxic”. Edward Bulmer Natural Paint wanted a clear, evidence-based way to communicate the true environmental profile of its products.

As the company explained:

“We were up against powerful incumbents with big budgets making vague claims. The Charter helped us benchmark our instinct for honesty and transparency.”

What changed

• The company created a formal Green Claims Policy.

• Ingredient lists and impact information are published in full.

• A dedicated sustainability lead was appointed to support evidence collection.

Impact

Customers gain clarity about what the paint is made of and how its impacts are measured. Retailers find it easier to understand the substance behind the brand’s messaging. Internally, the Charter helped embed a stronger culture of rigour and transparency.

Read Full Case Study →

Case Study: Gunnebo Entrance Control

Why they joined

Gunnebo Entrance Control (GEC) manufactures entrance security systems. Sustainability is not the core product offering, which meant communication sometimes erred on the side of vagueness or silence. The Charter provided a clear framework to communicate environmental impact with confidence.

GEC’s Global Sustainability Officer explained the shift:

“We are a safety-first brand. But that has to include safety for people and for the planet.”

What changed

• A structured content approval process was introduced.

• Marketing moved away from generic messaging and towards specific, substantiated information.

Impact

Gunnebo now communicates even more responsibly. Teams feel more confident discussing sustainability publicly, and stakeholders have a clearer view of the company’s real progress.

Read Full Case Study →

What Signatory Status Means for Stakeholders

The value of signatory status can be seen across all audiences.

Customers

Clearer, more reliable information that supports informed decision making.

Investors and partners

Confidence that sustainability claims are evidence-led and backed by a responsible governance process.

Employees

Reassurance that the organisation’s public commitments are matched by internal intent and action.

Suppliers and contractors

A signal that responsible practice matters throughout the value chain.

Civil society and NGOs

A visible commitment to openness and credible communication.

As Charlie puts it:

“Signatory status gives every audience a reason to trust what they are reading. It closes the gap between intention and perception.”

A Visible Mark of Integrity

Each signatory receives a numbered logo. . It represents responsible practice and a willingness to communicate honestly.

As Edward Bulmer notes:

“Our customers can click the Charter logo on our site and know exactly what we stand for.”

The logo helps people understand what an organisation is genuinely doing. It supports a clearer, more trustworthy landscape for sustainability communication.

Why Signatory Status Matters

For organisations, becoming a signatory is a conscious choice to build long-term trust with all stakeholders.

For stakeholders, it provides confidence that what they are reading is clear, honest and grounded in evidence.

Across every signatory story, the pattern is the same: responsible communication leads to stronger trust, more confident teams and a more credible voice. In a challenging communications landscape, that clarity has real value.

Communicate About Sustainability with Confidence

If your organisation wants to protect its reputation, reduce greenwashing risk, and communicate sustainability with confidence, we’d love you to join us.

📢 Become a signatory of The Anti-Greenwash Charter.
Shape the future of responsible communication and show stakeholders what honest, trusted sustainability leadership looks like.

Join the Charter →

How Patagonia’s Progress Report Acts Like a Green Claims Policy.

A simple guide to clearer, more trustworthy impact reporting

Patagonia opens its 2025 Work in Progress Report with a simple but striking line: “Nothing we do is sustainable.”

It sets the tone for everything that follows. Instead of trying to position itself as perfect, Patagonia explains the real impact of its business and the work still ahead. This approach is not just a style choice. It looks and feels like the behaviour a strong green claims policy is designed to create.

Even though Patagonia never calls it a policy, its progress report reads like an organisation already following one.

Why this matters: the gap between greenwash and greenhush

Most organisations are stuck between two pressures. Talk too confidently about sustainability and risk exaggerating. Stay quiet to avoid mistakes and risk hiding important information.

Patagonia chooses honesty instead. Early in the report it states that every product takes resources from the planet, and that its purpose and its impact are always in tension.

This is exactly where a green claims policy starts: with truth, and context.

The behaviours that resemble a green claims policy

Patagonia’s report shows many of the same traits that The Anti-Greenwash Charter defines as responsible sustainability communication.

Real transparency

Patagonia shares progress and setbacks with the same level of openness. For example:

• Its emissions rose by 2 percent due to the materials used in FY25.

• Only 6 percent of its synthetic fabrics come from secondary waste, far short of its 50 percent goal.

• Only 39 percent of factories in scope currently pay a living wage.

Many companies hide numbers like these. Patagonia publishes them clearly. This is what a real green claims policy demands.

Clear definitions and evidence

Patagonia explains how it measures impact and where the data comes from. It completes a full double materiality assessment following CSRD guidance. It lists the third-party audit bodies it works with, from the Fair Labor Association to the Science Based Targets initiative.

A good green claims policy requires exactly this kind of clarity.

Balanced and fair storytelling

Patagonia avoids self-congratulation and focuses on truth. It explains that “carbon neutrality” was not meaningful enough, so the company stopped using it and shifted to a tougher net-zero pathway. It also describes the nearly 20-year journey to remove PFAS from its products and why it took so long.

A good green claims policy avoids selective storytelling. Patagonia models that behaviour.

Simple and honest language

The report uses plain words like “messy”, “painful”, “wipeouts”, “damage” and “still learning”. This makes the claims easier to understand and harder to misinterpret.

This is the foundation of honest communication.

A clear journey that matches how a green claims policy works

The structure of Patagonia’s report mirrors the journey that responsible sustainability communication should follow.

Admitting uncertainty

“We do not have all the answers” appears early in the document. Many organisations would avoid a statement like this. A good green claims policy encourages it.

Giving context and clarity

Patagonia explains its methods, boundaries and limits. Readers can see how decisions were made and what assumptions were used.

Building trust through openness

Because the company shares challenges as well as achievements, the reader develops trust through transparency, not through slogans.

Backing communication with governance

Patagonia’s ownership structure places “Earth as our only shareholder”. This is not marketing. It is a legal structure that supports the company’s claims.

A green claims policy is strongest when it connects communication to governance. Patagonia demonstrates this link clearly.

So is Patagonia’s progress report a green claims policy in action

In practical terms, yes.

On paper, it is not a formal policy. But the behaviours are the same as those required by a strong green claims approach:

• No exaggerated claims

• Evidence for every statement

• Clear limits and boundaries

• Balanced reporting

• Simple language

• Honest context

• Third-party verification

• Clear ownership of impact

Patagonia’s report shows that transparent sustainability communication is possible when there is willingness, discipline and a clear sense of purpose.

What other organisations can learn

Here are the key lessons from Patagonia’s approach:

Start by naming the truth

“Nothing we do is sustainable” removes the pressure to pretend and creates space for real action.

Focus on the context, not the slogans

Patagonia explains the decisions behind the claims. This gives the claims weight.

Share the full picture

Greenwash thrives when companies hide the difficult parts. Patagonia shows the whole story.

Don’t wait for perfect data

The report is honest about what is still incomplete. A good green claims policy supports this kind of honesty.

Align the message with the business

Patagonia’s ownership model strengthens the credibility of its sustainability work. This is rare and powerful.

Closing thought

Patagonia’s progress report is not perfect. It was never meant to be. But it shows what responsible sustainability communication looks like when a company commits to honesty, clarity and accountability.

It is not just a report. It is a practical example of how a green claims policy works when it is treated as a mindset, not simply a document.

Communicate About Sustainability with Confidence

If your organisation wants to protect its reputation, reduce greenwashing risk, and communicate sustainability with confidence, we’d love you to join us.

📢 Become a signatory of The Anti-Greenwash Charter.
Shape the future of responsible communication and show stakeholders what honest, trusted sustainability leadership looks like.

Join the Charter →

The Age of Unfiltered Everything: What Happens When Anyone Can Say Anything?

A world where anyone can say anything has created confusion, weakened trust and left sustainability communication struggling to stay honest, clear and understood.

Not long ago, most information passed through some kind of filter. Editors, producers and experts shaped what reached the public. It was far from perfect, but there was structure. Today, that structure has almost disappeared.

We now live in what many call the Age of Unfiltered Everything. Anyone can publish a post, create a video, or make a claim that reaches millions within hours. Some of this is empowering. Some of it is deeply confusing. And all of it has changed how people understand the world around them.

“It didn’t happen overnight,” says Charlie Martin, CEO and Founder of The Anti-Greenwash Charter.

“But over time, we saw communication speeding up and slowing down our ability to understand things. It became louder, faster, and harder to trust.”

This shift has affected many areas of society. But one of the most vulnerable is sustainability.

The Feed Has Become the Frontline

The last decade gives us plenty of examples of how quickly information can spread and how easy it is for stories to travel without being checked.

Consider a few moments that defined this era:

• The Fyre Festival, marketed through glossy influencer videos, sold an experience that never existed.

• Deepfake videos and AI-generated images now circulate widely, making it harder to tell what is real.

• During the early days of COVID-19, false health information travelled faster than official guidance.

• Elections in several countries were shaped by misinformation and targeted online campaigns.

The pattern is clear. The systems that spread information have outpaced the systems that check it.

“When the reward is attention, not accuracy, the loudest story wins,” Charlie says.

Why Sustainability Is Caught in the Crossfire

Sustainability communication is complicated. It involves science, long-term goals and constant change. That makes it vulnerable in a world that prefers quick stories.

Recent examples show how easily things can go wrong:

• Several major fashion brands have been investigated by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority for unclear or exaggerated claims about recycled or sustainable products.

• Advertising regulators in Europe and elsewhere have challenged energy companies for presenting renewable efforts in ways that did not reflect the full picture.

• The Volkswagen emissions case in 2015 raised questions about how technical claims are communicated and verified.

These incidents damaged trust far beyond the companies involved. They shaped how the public views sustainability claims as a whole.

“Even responsible teams felt the impact,” Charlie says.

“When trust drops in one place, it drops everywhere.”

When Fear Leads to Silence

As scrutiny increased, something unexpected happened. Many organisations became more cautious about communicating anything at all.

A 2023 analysis by South Pole found that more than half of surveyed companies were holding back on sustainability communication. They were afraid of making mistakes, being misinterpreted or being accused of overstating their progress.

This behaviour has become known as greenhushing.

“Most of the people staying quiet had nothing to hide,” Charlie explains.

“They were simply unsure how to speak clearly and confidently in a very unpredictable environment.”

Silence creates its own problems. It hides progress. It confuses stakeholders. And it makes it harder for the public to see what good practice looks like.

Why Something Had to Change

Regulation has started to catch up. The EU’s Green Claims Directive and tightening advertising standards across the world show this clearly. But regulation alone cannot rebuild trust. Many organisations need help interpreting the rules, communicating clearly and making sure their message is fair and accurate.

“That’s why we created the Anti-Greenwash Charter,” Charlie says.

“We wanted to offer a clear, independent standard that supports organisations, not scares them. A standard people can rely on when they want to get communication right.”

The Charter is built on four simple standards: transparency, accountability, fairness and honesty. They act as a guideline for communication that is credible, balanced and easy to understand.

“It’s there to help people feel confident again,” Charlie adds. “And confidence is the foundation of trust.”

What a Better Future Could Look Like

If the last decade shows us what happens when communication becomes chaotic, the next decade could show us what happens when clarity returns.

Imagine a future where sustainability claims are presented in a way anyone can understand. Where companies feel able to share their progress openly. Where audiences trust what they hear because the evidence is clear and consistent.

“A trusted communication landscape is possible,” Charlie says.

“We just need shared standards and a commitment to being open about both progress and limitations.”

In the Age of Unfiltered Everything, the biggest challenge is not speaking louder. It is speaking clearly. Trust has become rare, and that makes it valuable. The organisations that earn it will be the ones who choose truth over noise.

And that is why something had to be done.

Communicate About Sustainability with Confidence

If your organisation wants to protect its reputation, reduce greenwashing risk, and communicate sustainability with confidence, we’d love you to join us.

📢 Become a signatory of The Anti-Greenwash Charter.
Shape the future of responsible communication and show stakeholders what honest, trusted sustainability leadership looks like.

Join the Charter →

Why Every Supplier Needs a Credible Green Claims Policy.

The Procurement Act 2023, CSRD and CSDDD together signal a new era of accountability, where suppliers must show not only what they achieve on sustainability, but how they communicate it.

Suppliers in every industry are under new pressure to prove that their sustainability claims can be trusted. Buyers, investors and regulators are no longer satisfied with broad promises about being green or net zero. They now expect those claims to be demonstrated, documented and defensible.

The Procurement Act 2023, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) together define this new era of accountability. They make clear that transparency and integrity are not optional values but legal and commercial necessities.

A structured Green Claims Policy (GCP), verified under The Anti-Greenwash Charter (TAGC), provides the practical framework suppliers need to meet these expectations.

Why this matters: the new risk landscape for suppliers

Misleading or exaggerated sustainability claims are no longer seen as minor marketing errors. They can now trigger contract termination, regulatory enforcement or legal challenge.

Procurement teams are required to check that suppliers communicate truthfully about environmental and social performance. That means every claim about a product, service or process, from carbon neutrality to recycled content, is open to scrutiny.

Suppliers therefore face two questions:

• Can we prove what we claim?

• Do we have a clear process for how these claims are approved and communicated?

The Procurement Act 2023 brings these questions to the forefront by embedding integrity, transparency and fairness as central procurement objectives. These align directly with TAGC’s four standards: transparency, accountability, fairness and honesty.

The Procurement Act 2023: integrity as a compliance test

Section 12: Procurement objectives

Under Section 12 of the Act, contracting authorities must:

• deliver value for money

• maximise public benefit

• share information so that suppliers and others understand procurement decisions

• act, and be seen to act, with integrity

This language establishes a clear link between procurement compliance and the accuracy of sustainability communication. A supplier that has a verified Green Claims Policy can show that it manages its claims responsibly and supports the buyer’s own duty to act with integrity.

Transparency notices and publication

The Act also requires authorities to publish “transparency notices” and more detailed contract information. Once sustainability-related promises appear in these public records, any inconsistency between claim and outcome becomes visible. A GCP ensures that suppliers have governance processes to verify claims before they reach the public domain.

Fair treatment and SME access

Section 12 also calls for equal treatment of suppliers and removal of barriers for small and medium-sized enterprises. A clear Green Claims Policy helps SMEs compete on credibility, not just scale. It provides a practical way to show integrity without expensive certification schemes.

Frameworks and long-term contracts

Public and private frameworks increasingly require sustainability assurance over multiple years. A GCP offers ongoing governance so that claims made at the start of a contract remain consistent with performance through its lifetime.

Connecting the dots: CSRD and CSDDD

CSRD – accuracy and transparency in reporting

The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive requires large and listed companies to publish standardised sustainability information that is complete, consistent and comparable. Suppliers feeding data or narratives into those reports must therefore ensure their own claims are accurate and traceable. A GCP supports this by linking communication to evidence, reducing the risk of errors that could compromise the buyer’s CSRD disclosures.

CSDDD – due diligence across the value chain

The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive extends responsibility beyond an organisation’s walls. Companies must identify and prevent negative environmental and human-rights impacts throughout their value chain. For suppliers, this means every claim about sustainable materials, ethical sourcing or emissions reduction must be backed by demonstrable governance. A GCP provides that governance, documenting how claims are created, verified and approved at each step.

Together, the Procurement Act, CSRD and CSDDD form a connected framework:

• Procurement demands integrity and openness.

• Reporting demands precision and comparability.

• Due diligence demands accountability across the chain.

A verified Green Claims Policy ties these together in one coherent system of trust.

What a Green Claims Policy delivers

A Green Claims Policy turns sustainability communication into a controlled process rather than a marketing exercise. It sets out:

• clear roles for creating and approving claims

• evidence standards for each type of statement

• requirements for third-party verification where needed

• guidance on language, proportionality and context

• review cycles to keep information current

For buyers, seeing that a supplier has a verified GCP provides assurance that sustainability statements can be relied upon. For suppliers, it reduces risk and shows maturity in governance.

Practical steps suppliers can take

1. Draft or update a Green Claims Policy. Define how environmental and social claims are produced, reviewed and signed off.

2. Train teams. Make sure staff in communications, sales, and procurement understand what constitutes a compliant claim.

3. Collect and store evidence. Keep records of data, certifications, or third-party validations that support each claim.

4. Engage the supply chain. Ask sub-suppliers to provide their own documented evidence or adopt simplified GCPs.

5. Align policies with CSRD and CSDDD. Ensure claim governance supports data accuracy for CSRD reporting and risk mapping for CSDDD due diligence.

6. Reference GCPs in tenders. When responding to RFIs or RFPs, include your verified Green Claims Policy to demonstrate procurement-readiness and integrity.

The emerging benchmark for trust

The rules shaping business conduct are converging around one principle: claims must match reality.

The Procurement Act 2023 ensures that public contracts reward integrity. The CSRD ensures that corporate reporting reflects evidence. The CSDDD ensures that due diligence extends across the entire value chain.

A verified Green Claims Policy helps suppliers meet all three demands. It gives buyers confidence, strengthens compliance, and protects reputation.

For suppliers, this is the next compliance frontier, moving beyond making sustainability claims to governing them with transparency, accountability, fairness and honesty.

Communicate About Sustainability with Confidence

If your organisation wants to protect its reputation, reduce greenwashing risk, and communicate sustainability with confidence, we’d love you to join us.

📢 Become a signatory of The Anti-Greenwash Charter.
Shape the future of responsible communication and show stakeholders what honest, trusted sustainability leadership looks like.

Join the Charter →