The term “greenwashing” is generally used for a supplier who deceives or misleads its consumers into believing that its practices or goods and services are more environmentally positive or have greater environmental benefits than is indeed the case.
A study by the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) found that 51% of online products claiming to be green were found to be “vague” with “insufficient elaboration or details to support the claims”. The study also found that 14% of online product claims use technical language that made it difficult for consumers to understand or verify the claim.
The CCCS, in March 2022, awarded a grant to researchers from the Centre for Governance and Sustainability at the National University of Singapore Business School to look into such practices. The grant was made in a bid to better understand greenwashing on e-commerce websites in Singapore.
