In a bid to be seen to be green, the digital age ‘noughties’ have seen a plethora of global companies jump on the environmental bandwagon with often unvalidated claims about their products or processes being environmentally friendly. Whether a deliberate marketing tactic or clumsy interpretation of what’s green and what isn’t (e.g. sprucing a product’s green qualities whilst ignoring the supply chain that gets that product on the shelves), ‘greenwashing’ has fast become a global phenomenon.
The 2025 Two Sides Trend Tracker shows 68% of Australians and 58% of New Zealanders believe the real motivation for moving to digital-only communications is cost-cutting.
In 2008, in a bid to expose and curtail greenwashing, a not-for-profit, global initiative promoting the unique sustainable and attractive attributes of print, paper and paper packaging was founded. The Two Sides campaign initiated a collaboration of companies from sectors related to forestry, pulp and paper manufacturing, packaging, inks, pre-press, press, finishing, publishing, printing, envelopes and postal operators.
In Australia and New Zealand, the Visual Media Association (VMA) was quick to align itself with the Two Sides campaign, supporting the argument that unchecked, greenwashing erodes public trust and undermines sectors – like those sectors its members are involved in - that support thousands of local jobs. VMA joined Two Sides in challenging 3,000 organisations worldwide, to remove unfounded claims and commit to honest, evidence-based environmental messaging.
The latest data suggests that 1,320 of those companies have notionally agreed to withdraw or amend unsubstantiated greenwashing statements.
“Claims that digital is always greener than paper are misleading and unfair,” says Kellie Northwood, Chief Executive Officer, VMA and Country Manager for Two Sides ANZ. “Paper is a renewable, recyclable, carbon-storing product and carries strong nature-positive credentials. Our industry continues to innovate and invest in sustainable practices, and we play an important role in educating marketers and businesses across the environmental credentials of our channel.”
In Australia and New Zealand, paper is produced from sustainably managed forests and boasts some of the highest recycling rates globally (62% and 67% respectively). In fact, Australia’s paper sector has reduced greenhouse gas emissions per ton by more than 6% over the past six years, all while increasing production. Data also suggests that Australian forests - representing 3% of the world’s forests – actually store an estimated 10.5 billion tons of carbon (excluding soil), demonstrating the carbon sequestration value of forest management.
“The reality is that consumers in our region largely seem to understand that print and paper are sustainable, practical, and in many cases preferred,” Northwood adds. “Organisations pushing digital-only services under the guise of being environmental need to continue to be more transparent and rethink misleading messaging.”
“We invite members and industry to keep helping us to identify examples of greenwashing. We can then reach out and provide the science-backed evidence, together and defend the sustainability of print and protect consumer choice,”
To report greenwashing in Australia or New Zealand, send a message and photo of the greenwashing to hello@visualmediaassociation.org.au and the Two Sides team at VMA will take it from there.
