Research to stop corporate greenwashing
Photo by Kawica Stewart
Greenwashing is communication that misleads people into adopting overly positive beliefs about an organization’s environmental performance, practices, or products.
Source: Lyon and Montgomery, 2015
Greenwash Action Lab exists to provide academic research to support anti-greenwashing efforts. Apple, KPMG Canada, CPA Canada, and more have engaged with us to keep their employees and stakeholders informed.
Meet our Researchers
Wren Montgomery
Wren is an associate professor of management and sustainability at the Ivey Business School and an internationally recognized expert on corporate greenwashing. With industry knowledge from previous roles in management consulting and government, Wren knows how to ensure research is accessible and impactful to policymakers, NGOs, and managers.
She is also co-lead of the Impact Scholar Community. Wren’s research on firm environmental communications has been pivotal in defining greenwash and its tactics, and informing strategies to stop it, including influencing Canadian legislation and corporate practices. She has won multiple awards for her research and impact work and is a frequent media commentator.
Tom Lyon
Tom is a professor at the Ross School of Business and the School for Environment and Sustainability at University of Michigan. He is a leader in using economic analysis to understand corporate environmental strategy and how it’s shaped by emerging government regulations, NGOs, and consumer demands. In 2004, Tom published the book Corporate Environmentalism and Public Policy and has been working on corporate deception, science denialism, and greenwashing ever since.
Our research is featured in:The Globe and Mail
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Bloomberg
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The Guardian
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Fortune
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CBC
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Financial Post
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Global News
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The Globe and Mail • Bloomberg • The Guardian • Fortune • CBC • Financial Post • Global News •
Recent Thought Leadership
Emerging Research
The Green Hush: A Foundational Model of Brownwashing and the Impacts of Greenwashing
The recent article reveals the complex interaction between hiding and exaggerating green claims and how rampant exaggeration can cause truly green firms to withdraw green claims.
Read the paper or a practitioner summary.
In The News
Op-Ed: Ottawa is scrapping Canada’s greenwashing rules. This is a mistake
The Canadian government already has plans to reverse 2024 greenwashing laws. Industry experts recommend a different plan to increase the laws effectiveness.
Expert witness testimony on California climate disclosure laws
Tom was retained as an expert in the California case related to the Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act and the Climate-Related Financial Risk Act. Tom argues that accurate climate disclosure is important in order to avoid market failures that are harmful to the public interest.
Award-Winning Leadership: Canada Clean50
Wren was awarded the 2026 Clean50 award, recognizing contributions to a “job-rich, cleaner, healthier, innovation based low-carbon economy, supporting all Canadians.” Wren has been recognized for her decade-long deep dive into corporate greenwashing that influenced 2024 revisions to Canada’s Competition Act, caught the attention of Apple and KPMG, and has been featured in The Guardian, CBC Marketplace, and more.
Most Recent
Who We Support
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The media is educating the world on greenwashing. We can help you add an evidence-base to your stories.
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Non-profit leaders are fighting greenwashing in court. We’ll give you research to support your case.
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Regulators are making policy to stop greenwashing. We can help you understand policy best practices.
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Many businesses are striving to for Authentic Sustainability. We can help you compete against greenwashers and be a model for change in your industry.
How We Help
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Conducting and disseminating research to inform public discussion and debate
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Bringing awareness to greenwashing through engagement with mainstream media
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Breaking down common terms and practices to support understanding
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Sharing tools we've co-created to prevent greenwashing
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Work directly with industry to support informed decisions around greenwashing