When there is a flood of claims from technology and service providers such as “net zero”, “planet positive” and “100% renewable energy”, how do you separate real progress from polished propaganda?
Regulators have repeatedly shown how widespread the problem is. On display in EU 2021 websites, authorities had reason to believe that claims were exaggerated, false or misleading in 42% of them, and in more than half of them the companies failed to provide easily assessable evidence.
Meanwhile, even despite the ambitious Green claims directive stalledThe new rules already ban vague environmental terms and “climate-neutral” marketing based on compensation unless proven and verified.
Forrester predicts that 2026 will be a tipping point for environmental sustainability, marking a clear gap between performative sustainability and genuine, comprehensive climate action. Use the guidelines below to test vendor marketing and avoid becoming complicit in greenwashing.
Identify red flags in sustainability marketing
Finding red flags in marketing is the absolute first step and a de facto exercise that every IT leader should do with their vendors and partners. Review the sustainability reports of your major technology partners and find:
- Broad, unsubstantiated formulations. Claims to be “eco-friendly”, “green” or “climate neutral” without clear methods, scale or evidence are classic red flags and are increasingly coming under regulatory scrutiny.
- Incomprehensible indicators. If a supplier quotes vague numbers like “efficiency” without revealing absolute numbers, at least for Scope 1 and 2 emissions, that's a reason to dig deeper.
- “100% renewable energy” only through certificates and over-reliance on compensation. Such statements without clear mitigation measures often indicate weak decarbonization strategies. Offsets have a role to play, especially for emissions that are difficult to reduce, but transparency and credible action are still important. Understand various types of offsets and loans and ensure you are committed to transparency in mitigation efforts.
Verification of claims and comparison with standards
Compliance testing ensures that the organization is measuring the correct metrics. Once you've checked your technical partner for any red flags, dig in and:
- Ask for a verifiable greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory. Request inventories prepared in accordance with ISO standards, e.g. ISO 14064-1 and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, including Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 material categories with disclosure of methods and emission factors. Check if third party verification is provided.
- Confirm product–level claims. Seek to learn more about life cycle assessments and PCF calculation methodologies. Product Carbon Footprint Standard ISO 14067 can be a great place to start understanding methodologies.
- Require standardized data center KPIs. For cloud and colocation providers, request power usage efficiency (PUE) and water usage efficiency (WUE) data specified according to standards such as Overview of ISO/IEC 30134 And ISSU cross.
Insist on independent third party verification
Third-party verification ensures that your data sources are correct and that there are no errors in the workflow used to generate the report. In addition to credit checks for offsets and compliance of carbon neutrality claims with ISO standards, look for confirmation in the form of:
- No guarantee–financial data. Look for external guarantees from third parties such as ISSA 5000 Review (PwC) to review sustainability disclosures, controls and data quality.
- Proven Science–based goals. Prioritize suppliers with short-term and zero-sum goals verified SBTi.
- Signals of disclosure quality. CDP Scoring focuses on comprehensive emissions calculations, including accounting, management and Scope 3 verification. Check to see if the provider or supplier has CDP responses.
Hold suppliers accountable and avoid increased greenwashing
To start, raise the bar on cloud sustainability by using trusted eco-labels such as EPIT or TCO certificate, generation 10 and use supplier codes of conduct to ensure procurement security. Besides:
Learn more about data center energy efficiency and green IT.
