Table of Contents

• "Sustainable" Claims Without Any Certification
• "Recyclable" vs "Made From Recycled"
• "Natural" or "Bio-Based" on Mostly Plastic Products
• "Carbon Neutral" Without Showing the Maths
• "Eco" Packaging on a Non-Eco Product
• A Few Famous Greenwashing Scandals
• What the Real Thing Looks Like

1. "Sustainable" Claims Without Any Certification

The word "sustainable" has no legal definition in Australia. Anyone can slap it on anything — a cushion, a candle, a chair made of MDF and glue. The fix? Look for third-party certifications like Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), GECA (Good Environmental Choice Australia), or Australian Made + Sustainable. These are audited by independent environmental organisations, not self-declared. The ACCC's 2023 guidance flags this as one of the most common examples of greenwashing — a brand making sustainability claims and company claims about its environmental credentials with nothing to back them up.

2. "Recyclable" vs "Made From Recycled"

This is one of the sneakier greenwashing tactics — using a word that sounds responsible but isn't. "Recyclable" means a product could theoretically be recycled. "Made from recycled" means it actually was. Big difference. Most MDF and plastic-composite picture frames are technically recyclable in industrial settings, but kerbside recycling can't process them. According to Planet Ark and the National Waste Report, mixed-material products almost always end up in landfill regardless of what the label says. The recycling process isn't magic — and "recycled plastic" content under 10% barely shifts the needle on plastic pollution.

3. "Natural" or "Bio-Based" on Mostly Plastic Products

"Natural" is another word with no regulated meaning. "Bio-based" sounds lovely but often means 10–30% plant material — the rest is regular plastic. Bamboo-blend trays, "natural fibre" rugs with synthetic backing, eco-friendly products with hidden polyester layers, even single-use straws marketed as "plant-based." Choice magazine has documented this for years. Read the materials breakdown, not the marketing.

4. "Carbon Neutral" Without Showing the Maths

Carbon-neutral and net-zero claims have exploded — but many brands just buy cheap offsets and call it a day. A 2023 Guardian investigation found a huge share of forest-based carbon offsets didn't represent real emission reductions, meaning a lot of "carbon neutral" products are quietly funded by hot air. The Changing Markets Foundation has flagged similar issues across the fast fashion industry. Look for brands that reduce their carbon footprint and carbon emissions first, then offset only what's left over — and publish the maths. Anything else is just a greenhouse gas accounting trick dressed up as climate action.

5. "Eco" Packaging on a Non-Eco Product

Recyclable cardboard wrapped around a plastic-and-glue frame doesn't make the product environmentally friendly. The packaging is a clever distraction from the product's real environmental impact. Ignore the box and ask the only question that matters: what is this thing actually made of? If the answer is "synthetic everything with a leafy logo," that's greenwashing in action.

A Few Famous Greenwashing Scandals

You're not the first person to notice this — some of the world's biggest brands have been caught greenwashing repeatedly:

• H&M's "Conscious Collection" — investigated for misleading the public about its sustainability scores, with the Norwegian Consumer Authority calling out false claims about environmental benefits.
• Shein — repeatedly accused of greenwashing while operating at a scale that's almost the definition of unsustainable fast fashion.
• Coca-Cola — named the world's top plastic polluter for several years running by the Break Free From Plastic audit, despite heavy advertising around recycled plastic bottles and the short-lived "Coca-Cola Life" rebrand.
• Volkswagen — the original car manufacturer caught lying about emissions, kicking off the broader environmental movement against corporate greenwash.
• IKEA — caught sourcing timber linked to illegally logged forests, despite its commitment to sustainability and Forest Stewardship Council labelling.
• Unilever's "purpose-led" brands have been scrutinised by the UK Advertising Standards Authority for vague environmental claims.
• Oil and gas majors — fossil fuel companies have spent billions advertising renewable energy investments that make up a tiny fraction of their actual gas and oil spend. Crude oil still pays the bills.
• Coffee pods — marketed as recyclable, but a tiny share actually make it through the recycling system, contributing to single-use plastic waste.

The pattern is the same every time: big sustainability claims, small action, and a lot of negative environmental impacts hidden behind clever ESG reporting.

What the Real Thing Looks Like

Spotting greenwashing gets easier once you know the patterns. Genuinely sustainable products and brands tend to share three things:

• They tell you exactly what materials are used and where they came from — full transparency on environmental issues, not just the wins.
• They have third-party certifications (Forest Stewardship Council, GECA, B Corp, Australian Made), not self-declared environmental claims.
• They're honest about what they haven't sorted out yet. Nobody's perfect — and brands that claim to be usually have the most to hide.

Sustainability isn't a marketing campaign. It's a slow, boring commitment to doing slightly better every year — protecting biodiversity, reducing single-use packaging, supporting renewable energy, and taking social responsibility seriously instead of outsourcing it to an offset spreadsheet.

At Mulbury, we make our picture frames from reclaimed Australian hardwood timber in our Melbourne workshop. We're not perfect either — but we'll always tell you exactly what you're buying, where it came from, and why. Small businesses can't fix the climate crisis on their own, but a real commitment to sustainability beats a leafy logo every time.

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To make an enquiry, please head to our Shadow Box Frame page, Custom Framing Page or Floating Frame Page and fill out the form or head straight to our standard size picture frames.

Prefer to pick up the phone? Call us on 03 9532 3424

Email: hello@mulbury.com.au

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