Greenwashing is a marketing practice used by some companies to appear environmentally friendly, when in reality they are not — or only barely so.

These companies exaggerate or fake their environmental commitment in order to improve their image in front of consumers, even though their actual actions have a negative impact on the environment.

For example, they might use green packaging, words like “eco”, “natural” or “sustainable”, or highlight very small environmental actions while hiding larger polluting practices.

It is a form of deception that can mislead consumers and make it harder to make truly responsible purchasing decisions.