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LESSON 5 · Live Greener Without Going Crazy

The Real Cost

Greenwashing harms more than the shopper who falls for it. When companies make false environmental claims, they erode trust in every green label, so people grow skeptical of products that are genuinely sustainable.

That cynicism punishes honest companies and rewards the ones doing nothing while claiming otherwise. Sustainability marketing is now a huge industry, and a large share of environmental claims are vague, exaggerated, or impossible to verify.