This is Greenwashing
A brief guide to understanding and avoiding sustainable lies
An insider’s perspective on environmental manipulation — and demanding what’s real.
See through the green fog
The system is designed to fail.
This book is your tool to spot greenwashing, marketing tricks, and hollow sustainability claims.
No fluff.
No corporate sponsors.
And no “conscious” marketing campaigns — just clarity.
For consumers, students, professionals, and anyone tired of marketing dressed as morality.
Spot the lies. Demand better.
Formats & availability
EPUB • MOBI • PDF — compatible with all major e-readers.
Available worldwide.
“Everyone talks about sustainability, but few understand what it means. Despite its widespread use, its significance remains elusive. Amid this confusion, a sustainable material, a certification—or just a tag or slogan—implies a green product. Brands chase the green patina, no matter what’s underneath. Scratch the green patina, and the truth tarnishes.”
— Rosita & Cristina Cigliola, authors of This is Greenwashing
Why This is Greenwashing exists
Sustainability is everywhere — but its meaning is often blurred, or entirely hollow.
Words like eco-friendly, conscious, or sustainable are thrown around, sold back to us as branding, polished with a patina of “green” — no matter what lies underneath.
Certifications were watered down.
Industries influenced the regulations meant to control them.
We saw it happen from the inside, after decades in the industry.
We wrote this book because silence was no longer an option.
This is not a shopping guide.
Not a list of “good brands.”
While rooted in our experience in fashion, the patterns of greenwashing apply across industries.
It explains how greenwashing works — so you can recognise it anywhere.
Once you see it, you can’t unsee it.
What you’ll learn in this guide to spotting greenwashing
- The mechanics of greenwashing
- The most common sustainability myths
- How brands mislead consumers
- What certifications really mean (and don’t mean)
- A practical framework to evaluate any “eco” claim
Spotting greenwashing means understanding what is truly sustainable and what is not.
This is about awareness and critical thinking — not perfection.
About the authors
This is Greenwashing comes from the work of Rosita and Cristina Cigliola — sisters, authors, and long-time participants in the fashion industry.
Before founding suite123 and sei Milano showroom in 2006, we worked for companies across the fashion system. Since then, we have remained independent.
For years, we worked inside the system — buying for our boutique, attending showrooms and exhibitions, consulting for global brands, analysing retail and supply chains, reviewing sustainability strategies, and sitting in meetings where environmental language was carefully adjusted to reduce risk rather than increase impact.
We saw sincere people trying to create change — and marketing budgets reshaped it into something safer, more sellable.
This book exists because transparency rarely survives within corporate structures.
We are not activists speaking from the outside.
We are witnesses — still watching.
Independent since 2006.
(You can learn more about our journey[here].)
— Rosita & Cristina
Published independently. No corporate backing.
Early readers say
“I’m reading your book — it’s brilliant. You write about the fashion industry, but clearly, it’s applicable to any other sector. When the Italian version is out, I’ll gift it to my colleagues.”
— Alessandro M. (Milano/Italy)
“Sustainability starts with education, and This is Greenwashing is the perfect guide. It explains the laws in a simple and clear way. This guide helps readers identify what is genuine and what is simply another marketing tool or false promise. It teaches how to make more informed choices about who to support and how to shop, while creating value through a ‘less is more’ approach. It also encourages readers to ask more questions and demand better. Overall, a concise, yet informative, and thoughtful guide to building a better lifestyle — and a better world.”
— Joelle E. (Columbia, South Carolina/USA)
“Really interesting — I’ll be in touch with you.”
— Roberta F. (Bologna/Italy)
“This is Greenwashing is a must-read that will completely change the way you see ‘green’ labels—while offering real, practical solutions you can actually use. It’s an engaging, eye-opening book that clearly breaks down how companies twist sustainability into a marketing tool. Honest, smart, empowering, and incredibly timely. I feel more aware and ready to ask the right questions.”
— Darci R. (Los Angeles, California/USA)
“Seen through the lens of the fashion industry, Rosita and Cristina Cigliola have created a sharp-eyed ‘look behind the curtain’ to help you distinguish the real thing from the knockoffs when it comes to sustainability claims. It’s a great tool for those who want to align their purchases with their values, and not just in fashion.”
— Gene S. (North Carolina/USA)
Stop guessing. Start spotting the lies.
The green fog isn’t accidental.
It’s engineered.
This book helps you see it clearly.
Spot the lies. Demand better.
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© 2026 • This is Greenwashing