There’s mounting evidence that people are getting more savvy to greenwashing – the term for when companies exaggerate or mislead about their environmentally conscious efforts.

Consider a new lawsuit against fast-fashion brand H&M, which is being sued for its “misleading” sustainability marketing. The lawsuit alleges that the retailer used falsified information on the labeling, packaging and marketing materials for hundreds of its offerings, according to The Fashion Law.

Of particular note are H&M’s Sustainability Profile scorecards, which are displayed on hangtags, in-store signage and online. A scorecard for one dress advertised it as using 20% less water than comparable production methods, but an independent investigation by Quartz found the garment actually used 20% more water to produce. The lawsuit also claims that H&M’s so-called Conscious Collection contains a higher percentage of synthetic materials than the brand’s main collection, noting that “it would take H&M more than a decade to recycle what it sells in a matter of days.”

In New Zealand, another brand was dinged for misleading advertising practices recently. In a commercial, outdoor apparel company Kathmandu used time-lapse photography to show its BioDown jacket slowly biodegrading in a landfill, while a voiceover stated: “Made for out there; biodegrades in here.” In the fine print at the bottom of the screen, however, the company noted that the jacket would only biodegrade in “biologically active landfills without oxygen.”

After a complaint to New Zealand’s Advertising Standards Authority, Kathmandu pulled an ad showing its BioDown jacket decomposing in a conventional landfill.

A complaint to New Zealand’s Advertising Standards Authority claimed the ad was misleading because the visuals showed conventional landfills, not the ones with the proper conditions for the down jacket to break down. Kathmandu pulled the ad before the complaints board could determine whether the country’s advertising standards had been breached.

The ad, despite being pulled, had many questioning whether Kathmandu was greenwashing with the claims it made about the puffer coat. “We think the advertising of Kathmandu’s BioDown jacket is misleading consumers about its environmental impact,” wrote Vanessa Pratley, an investigative writer with Consumer. “The shell of the jacket is made of nylon, a plastic, combined with a ‘special additive’ that makes it biodegradable. Kathmandu doesn’t disclose what the additive is, or what its environmental impacts are.”

In the U.S, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is set to refresh its Green Guides this year, a decade after the previous revision. The guides aren’t binding, but they’re useful to understand what the FTC deems acceptable in terms of sustainable marketing. As The Wall Street Journal recently noted, “The update might mean some marketers will want to change their practices or stop using certain claims to avoid FTC scrutiny or enforcement. It could also help level the playing field for those that give priority to sustainability in their marketing strategy.”

Try these tips to help avoid greenwashing in your own marketing efforts.

1. Don’t exaggerate claims. “If you’re really doing something you can communicate it,” Darrin Duber-Smith, senior lecturer at Metropolitan State University of Denver’s College of Business told The Wall Street Journal. “If you exaggerate too much, you’re going to get caught by the FTC, and they’re going to accuse you of false and misleading advertising.”

Consider that earlier this year, the FTC fined Walmart and Kohl’s $5.5 million for claiming bamboo-derived rayon textiles were environmentally friendly, despite their production requiring the use of toxic chemicals, resulting in hazardous pollutants.

2. Avoid vague, “feel-good” language and imagery. Using terms like “natural” or “green,” depicting pristine forests in marketing materials and adding random leaves and greenery to branding are ways companies have tried to latch onto environmental trends, without actually changing their production practices. But there’s evidence that consumers are catching on. In the U.K., for example, 49% of people believe brands are guilty of greenwashing, according to a recent study by Mindshare.

3. Follow up on your pledges. Lots of brands get good press when they make pledges to go carbon-neutral by a certain date or completely cut the use of virgin polyester in their products by another date. Those claims are meaningless if they aren’t transparent about the measurable progress they’re making toward those goals afterward.

4. Seek out credible certification. There are a number of respected third-party organizations that can certify and legitimize the environmental and social responsibility claims you’re making. In fact, we have a list of some of the more common ones on the main Promo for the Planet page. Align yourself with the ones that make the most sense to your company’s missions and goals.

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