Greenwashing Kills Brand Loyalty: CPG Consumers Need Proof

Greenwashing Fatigue 

Consumers have listened to brands making grandiose sustainability claims for years on end. However, most brands aren’t actually taking action to make their products more sustainable—and when nothing changes, nothing changes.  

Tired of listening to empty promises, consumers have given this performative rhetoric a fitting name: greenwashing.

And guess what? They’re over it. 

What Is Greenwashing, Anyway? 

Greenwashing is when a brand markets itself as environmentally responsible without doing the work to back it up.  

That can look like vague claims (“eco-friendly”), misleading packaging, or promoting a small green initiative while ignoring bigger environmental issues elsewhere in the business. 

78% of consumers say a sustainable lifestyle is important to them. These consumers prioritize sustainability in the way they live, not just what they say. With 66% of consumers willing to pay more for sustainable products, the proof is in the purchasing power. 

Words mean little to the modern consumer—they want to see sustainability in action.

What Builds Consumer Trust 

People want proof, transparency, and action. 

Here’s how some CPG brands are setting the standard: 

• Nestlé replaced plastic wrappers with recyclable paper on KitKat bars,  effectively implementing large-scale renewable packaging and encouraging consumers to “take a paper-wrapped break.” 

• Coca-Cola has returned 145 billion liters of water to the environment,  surpassing the amount of water used in its beverage production. Through its “World Without Waste” initiative, the company is working to recover and recycle a bottle or can for each one it sells by 2030. 

• Lavazza works with Rainforest Alliance-certified farms to ensure ethical sourcing. Not just for optics, but for long-term brand trust.

It Pays to Be Honest 

Shifting toward more sustainable practices is an investment, but choosing to forgo sustainability could cost you in the long run. 

Consumer trust is nearly impossible to rebuild once it’s been lost. That’s a big deal in CPG, where brand loyalty and shelf space are hard-earned and easy to lose. 

The good news? Doing the right thing pays off: 

• Unilever, which tests refillable packaging for Dove, reports that its sustainable brands are growing 69% faster than the rest of its portfolio. 

• Platforms like Loop are cutting waste and building new systems for responsible consumption, showing how reusable packaging reduces overall costs and builds long-term consumer buy-in. 

The bottom line?  Sustainability is better for your bottom line. 

How MDRG Helps Brands Avoid the Greenwashing Trap 

MDRG’s Whole Mind™ Approach combines emotional and rational insights to pressure-test sustainability messaging.  

Using proprietary frameworks like our Brand Tracking tool and our Product Innovation Pipeline, we are uniquely positioned to help brands replace greenwashing with ethical strategy, authentic messaging, and transparent results.

Discover which sustainable claims your consumers really care about, what you can do to increase sales, and how you can reduce your brand's environmental footprint along the way. 

Want to learn more? Contact us today.