Companies risk greater damage to their reputation by failing to live up to their green promises than if they hadn't made them in the first place, a survey suggests.
Marks & Spencer is perceived to be the organisation with the greenest credentials among big companies, according to research by Chatsworth Communications.
At the other end of the scale, BP and Tesco were the most likely to indulge in ‘greenwashing'- promoting themselves as environmentally friendly but not backing it up with real action.
And 10 per cent of those polled considered M&S to be guilty of greenwashing.
The research found brands with the most well-publicised campaigns were often thought of as ‘greenwashers' - suggesting that once a company positions itself as green, it must follow on its promises or find itself open to potentially greater criticism.
Chatsworth director Nick Murray-Leslie said the report showed the correlation between investment in publicity and a positive perception by the public does not necessarily always apply.
The Chatsworth FOOTSIE 100 survey polled 1500 national and trade journalists, sustainability experts and political groups.
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