Green statements in communication, such is the domestic situation in the field of greenwashing

The summary study of the Economic Competition Authority (GVH) examining the green communication of market players has been published. The GVH scrutinized the real content of green claims in advertising messages and the extent of their influence on consumers’ purchase intentions.

At the EU level and in Hungary, consumers demand the display of credible, comprehensive and verified performance-based sustainability claims and logos. For the majority of Hungarian consumers – if not the most important – but essential aspect, environmental awareness is. At the same time, according to a significant part of the surveyed consumers, only pre-checked and validated claims related to sustainability should appear on the products. An important outcome of the research is that a significant number of consumers are not aware of the exact content of the claims they see, and often misunderstand them. That is why education, the public and easy-to-understand transfer of information, and the controlling role of the authority play a major role.

3% of the examined advertisements communicate content related to sustainability, typically the advertisers emphasize general green image building with their messages, or they capture the environmental benefits that are easily available to them, e.g.: waste reduction or recyclable packaging. Claims of results requiring more resources for manufacturers are less common. Only 23% of the advertisements examined in the research supported their message with certificates, ratings, and research. The vast majority of advertisements (54%) had a specific message, but they were also unsupported.