Does your About page have a greenwashing problem? Here's how to tell

The page nobody audits

Most environmental-claims reviews focus on product pages, packaging copy and sustainability reports. The About page — and its variants Our Story, Mission, Values, Why we exist — usually gets a pass. That's where the problem is. About-page copy is written once, rarely re-reviewed, and tends to use the broadest, softest sustainability language on the site: phrases like "we care about the planet", "sustainability is in our DNA", or "committed to a better future for the next generation".

Under Australian Consumer Law, the same rules apply to the About page as to a product claim. The prohibitions on misleading or deceptive conduct (s 18) and false or misleading representations about goods or services (s 29) in Schedule 2 of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) don't carve out marketing copy or "brand storytelling".¹

Why the ACCC cares about About pages

In its March 2023 internet sweep the ACCC reviewed 247 businesses across eight sectors and found 57% had made concerning environmental claims. The report highlighted vague and unqualified language — exactly the register most About pages are written in — as one of the most common problem patterns.²

The ACCC's December 2023 guidance, Making environmental claims: A guide for business, sets out eight principles the regulator uses to assess whether a claim is misleading. Five of them — accuracy, evidence, completeness, qualification and avoiding broad/unqualified claims — apply directly to the kind of language About pages typically use.³

A six-line audit you can run today

Open your About / Our Story / Mission page and copy every sentence that mentions the environment, sustainability, the planet, future generations, or being "green" / "ethical" / "responsible". For each one, ask:

1. Is it a claim or a value? "We believe in protecting the planet" is a stated value. "We protect the planet" is a claim about conduct, and needs evidence. The ACCC's principle 1 (be accurate and truthful) treats present-tense claims as factual representations.³
2. Is the scope visible? A claim like "our operations are sustainable" needs to say what's included — head office only? Manufacturing? Suppliers? Principle 3 (don't leave out or hide important information) is where unstated scope usually fails.³
3. Is there a number behind it? If the sentence implies measurable progress ("dramatically reduced our footprint"), there should be a baseline, a figure, and a period. Principle 2 (have evidence to back claims up) expects businesses to be able to produce that evidence on request.³
4. Is a third party doing the work? "Certified", "verified" and "accredited" imply an external body. Name it. Principle 7 (visual elements should not give the wrong impression) covers leaf icons and tick marks that look like trust marks but aren't.³
5. Is it about the future, written in the present? "We are carbon neutral by 2030" reads as a current state. Principle 4 (explain any conditions or qualifications) asks for forward-looking statements to be flagged as targets.³
6. Does it match the product pages? An About page that claims "all our packaging is recyclable" needs to match what's actually on each product page — and on the pack itself. A site-wide claim is automatically the broadest claim you make.

The five phrases that almost always need rewriting

"We care about the planet"

On its own this is a statement of values, not a claim about conduct, and is unlikely to be misleading. The risk is when it's used as a header above paragraphs that go on to make specific claims without evidence — the heading then frames everything below as fact. Either rewrite the section to specific, evidenced actions, or keep the header as a clearly-marked statement of intent.

"Sustainability is in our DNA"

The ACCC's principle 5 calls out broad and unqualified claims. "Sustainable" without a defined scope (which activity? measured how? against what baseline?) is the archetype the guidance is written against.³

"Ethically sourced"

"Ethical" is a broad qualitative claim. The safer pattern is to name the standard or scheme being met — for example, certification under a named programme — and to link to evidence. Without that, principle 2 (evidence) is the gap.³

"Eco-friendly business"

The ACCC's sweep specifically flagged unqualified "eco" and "green" terminology applied to whole businesses as one of the most common problem patterns.² If the business has measured environmental performance against a recognised framework, say which one. If not, drop the adjective.

"Working towards net zero"

Aspirational targets are fine, but they need to be marked as targets and (per principle 4) sit next to interim milestones and the methodology being used. A standalone "working towards net zero" with no date, no scope and no plan is exactly the pattern recent ASIC and ACCC enforcement has criticised.⁴

What "good" About-page copy looks like

A defensible About page tends to do four things:

• Separates values (what we believe) from claims (what we do), and marks each clearly.
• For every present-tense claim, names the scope, the period, and either a number or a third-party programme behind it.
• For every forward-looking claim, uses words like "target", "goal" or "by [year]" and shows the interim milestones on the same page.
• Matches the product and packaging pages — no upgrades in the headline that the detail pages can't support.

A short pre-publish checklist

1. Every environmental sentence on the page has been classified as value, claim, or target.
2. Each claim names the scope and the period it covers.
3. Each claim is supported by a number, a programme, or a third-party reference.
4. Targets are clearly labelled as targets and sit next to interim milestones.
5. No decorative leaf, tick or earth icon on the page implies certification you don't hold.
6. The About page wording is consistent with product pages and on-pack copy.

Related reading

See What is greenwashing? for the legal backdrop, the ACCC's eight principles, and our list of Australian enforcement examples.