With 2024 set to become the hottest year on record, sustainability is no longer a luxury – it’s a necessity. But as sustainability rises to the top of the agenda, it’s also more essential than ever that we’re able to substantiate our assertions with clear, tangible action. Environmentally-conscious consumers are rightfully interrogating sustainable credentials to identify who’s walking the walk, and who’s merely jumping on to the bandwagon.

Last week, we heard from places leaders from around the world talking about their experience in delivering more responsible, community-focused, and environmental place brand and marketing strategies. And with COP 29 kicking off in Baku, Azerbaijan this week, we wanted to drill down into the specifics to understand how places can avoid accusations of greenwashing in their marketing.

Our Expert partners shared their top advice to ensure you’re demonstrating your authentic commitment to sustainability to help you target your place marketing.

Let your actions speak for themselves.

Being sustainable is a lot like being a rock star—if you have to keep repeating it to be believed, it’s probably because it isn’t true. The same holds true for sustainability. To prevent accusations of greenwashing, it’s essential to back up your claims with real facts. And when it comes to sustainability, those facts come from data. By publicly sharing measurable outcomes related to environmental impact, social responsibility, and economic viability, and by putting this data into context—such as comparing results to industry benchmarks or demonstrating progress over time—organizations can provide transparency and build trust. When travellers and stakeholders see concrete evidence of progress within a meaningful framework, they are more likely to believe in the authenticity of sustainability claims.

Mirko Lalli, CEO, The Data Appeal Company

Sustainability is a series of small, real steps.

Earn it. Then share it. Rather than launching big campaigns and focusing on broad claims, start with small, tangible steps that prove your commitment. These specific actions—whether reducing waste, improving energy efficiency, or supporting local ecosystems—create real, visible impact. Many destinations and corporations begin with grand visions and campaign, but real credibility comes from doing the work first. By building results gradually and authentically, your sustainability story naturally evolves, allowing you to share it confidently over time with evidence to back it up.

Ryan Short, CEO, CivicBrand

Talk about the challenges as well as the successes.

Be transparent! Share the challenges and limitations of current sustainability efforts, along with clear steps for improvement—this openness is important in avoiding greenwashing (as well as greenwashing accusations). Acknowledging shortcomings while demonstrating commitment to progress builds credibility and trust with your audience. While it is great to shoot for the stars, highlighting measurable goals and progress demonstrates a commitment to long-term impact rather than quick fixes and reliance on buzzwords.

Sigvard Alarcon, Director of Digital Campaigns, Trove Tourism Development Advisors

Back your claims with data.

To avoid accusations of greenwashing, transparency is key. Too often, companies promote bold and ambitious sustainability goals without tangible proof of progress, leading to skepticism and mistrust. The solution? Authentic storytelling backed by verifiable, data-driven actions. Be purposeful and lead with ethical intention. It’s not enough to talk about plans—showcase what’s being done today. Invest in third-party certifications, share measurable data, and develop community-driven initiatives demonstrating real, meaningful impact. These simple activities close the purpose-practice-perception gap and help cultivate brand accountability, ensuring your sustainability messaging aligns with your actions. End-to-end local stakeholder involvement and consistent communication about progress can foster lasting trust and credibility.

Dana Middleton, Director of DEI & Corporate Social Responsibility, MMGY Global

Be specific.

Our top recommendation for destinations to show real commitment to sustainability—and avoid greenwashing—is to be open, specific, and genuine in their communication. Instead of big claims, share clear results from efforts like reducing carbon, managing waste, ensuring fair wages, supporting cultural preservation, and hiring locally. Aligning the brand promise with what the community truly values and involving them in the journey shows it’s more than just talk. Regular updates and trusted certifications help back this up, showing visitors and locals alike that these efforts are real, meaningful, and here to stay.

Manolis Psarros, CEO & Chief Strategist, TOPOSOPHY

Avoid hyperbole – and don’t underestimate third-party verification.

When demonstrating your commitment to sustainability, avoid hyperbole. Now’s not the time for marketing buzzwords, vague claims, or fuzzy math. Bring third-party verification providers to your place, allow them to peek around, and substantiate through them. There are ESG consultants, or a simple internet search, you can use to find those providers. After all, if somebody outside your place brand has certified your work, your trust value just skyrocketed. Think of it as showing off an award you won—for saving your piece of the world.

John Armstrong, Chief Creative Officer, Joy Riot

Make sure you’re following through on your promises.

In a word: action. Tourism has seen plenty of well-intended plans and communications about sustainability but often a lack of meaningful follow-through. This has led travellers to doubt our true commitment. In a world inundated with greenwashing, destination organizations need to show their dedication through impactful actions. These actions should be visible to travellers, reduce tourism’s impact on the destination and enhance the community and environment.

Miles Partnership has invested in a range of educational resources and management tools to guide real progress, such as the “Guide to Action on Climate Change,” featuring practical examples from destinations around the world. Additionally, we worked with industry leaders to develop Wayfinder—a leading destination management tool enabling tourism organizations to measure, monitor and improve destination stewardship capability and outcomes.

Chris Adams, Head of Research and Insights, Miles Partnership

Balance accuracy with relevancy.  

A place brand’s communications team must be equally knowledgeable about its sustainability perceptions and actual performance. Understanding stakeholder perceptions establishes a baseline and indicates the most impactful themes to integrate into the communications strategy. Learning from those responsible for driving sustainability action builds literacy and greater confidence in communications. At a minimum, sustainability communications must be accurate to mitigate reputational risk and greenwashing accusations. Accuracy covers not exaggerating or misrepresenting actions taken, as well as not over-emphasizing achievements and positive highlights. Place branding leaders must balance accuracy with relevance: engaging stakeholders helps ensure that the place brand’s messaging resonates by focusing on the sustainability themes that matter most.

Robert Haigh, Strategy & Sustainability Director, Brand Finance

Ensure your sustainable outcomes are measurable and track these consistently.

By aligning actions with local communities and reporting outcomes consistently, places not only build trust but also strengthen their brand’s long-term appeal as responsible, forward-thinking countries, regions, and cities. At Bloom Consulting, we focus on data-driven nation brand strategies to ensure outcomes are trackable. A prime example of this approach is the Costa Rica project, where we developed the first AI-driven nation branding strategy in the world. By leveraging AI to analyse data and engage local stakeholders, Costa Rica successfully highlighted key sectors such as eco-tourism and green energy. This positioned the country as a global leader in climate change mitigation, focusing on environmental preservation through innovative policies and comprehensive education plans. This approach has made Costa Rica a finalist for the Place Brand of the Year awards.

Jose Torres, CEO, Bloom Consulting