Tools

Greenwashing happens when an organisation gives the public the impression that the environmental impact of its products or operations more positive than it actually is. But how can you know whether a statement is greenwashing?

The Integrated Framework to Assess Greenwashing (IFTAG) was developed by a team of natural scientists, social scientists, and communication researchers. It collects every form of greenwashing identified (so far) and pairs them with notes, examples, and yes/no indicator questions - if the answer is yes, the claim is greenwashing. It’s a proven tool that supports the Centre for Sustainable Organisations’ goals to enable sustainable organisations through research and education.

The IFTAG framework has been used by investigative journalists in Turkey and in Germany via Flip as a foundation for their research into green claims. It was also adopted into the 'Greenwash Prevention Toolkit' of the Institute for Advertising Ethics, which provides a curriculum for training advertising professionals, as well as circulated by the Network for Business Responsibility in their guide to avoiding greenwashing. The flexible format of the framework makes it adaptable to the needs of different kinds of organisations and researchers.

The IFTAG framework was developed with support from the Climate Social Science Network hosted by Brown University.

Ecological embeddedness aims to benefit business, consumers and the environment. The circular economy helps us use products for as long as possible in support of this aim. How circular is your organisation?

The Circularity Indicator Tool for Measuring the Ecological Embeddedness of Manufacturing (CITMEEM) supports manufacturers in improving their circularity practices. This tool was developed by engineering and business management researchers. CITMEEM has been used with over 100 organisations. It is a proven tool that supports the Centre for Sustainable Organisations’ goals to enable sustainable organisations through research and education.

Full details of the original concept have been published in the journal Sustainability.