"Greenwash is the use of marketing or public relations practices to create a misleading impression of an organisation's environmental performance. Greenwash often exaggerates good practices while downplaying or ignoring harmful activities. Broadly, greenwash aims to deflect criticism and build reputational capital while allowing an organisation to conduct business in ways that might be viewed as unacceptable if people knew about them...."

"Greenwashing (a compound word modeled on "whitewash"), also called "green sheen", is a form of advertising or marketing spin in which green PR and green marketing are deceptively used to persuade the public that an organization's products, aims and policies are environmentally friendly. Companies that intentionally take up greenwashing communication strategies often do so in order to distance themselves from the environmental lapses of themselves or their suppliers."