Episodes
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Greenwashing officially given the boot in the EU … and what it means for Australia.
In this solo ep with just me, Rach Green, I’m explaining the EU’s ban, what it means for Australian small business + how it will change your copy and messaging.
The EU has given greenwashing terms the boot and it's currently in process to become law. I’m cheering the EU’s move because it’s likely that Australia will follow this bold, much needed step to kill the BS, stop misleading buyers and put the importance on the planet that it deserves with action.
Hold up - what’s greenwashing?
It’s a topic I explored in this blog and also in this pod with Sam Rankin a few episodes ago. So go check that out if you want to dive deeper into greenwashing and messaging.
Greenwashing is defined by the European Parliament as “The practice of giving a false impression of the environmental impact or benefits of a product, which can mislead consumers”.
Greenwashing is saying sustainable things that your product isn’t, so buyers choose it in the misbelief that they are making planet friendly purchases.
Greenwashers use words like “eco friendly”, “natural”, “sustainably made”, “planet conscious” etc when they are none of these things – and when their claims aren’t proven.
The UN makes it clear: “greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon and methane, from human activities are wrapping the Earth in a blanket of pollution that has warmed the planet and led to severe impacts such as more intense storms, droughts, floods and wildfires.” In Australia, we know this – crazy, out of control busy fires. Wild storms that unleash rock-size hail balls. Whipping winds like we’ve never seen. Climate change is undeniable - it is caused by humans.
What’s so wrong about greenwashing?
It’s dangerous, deliberate and deceptive.
Simply, it’s unethical. It’s a marketing tactic. And this kind of shady marketing (excellent pod on unethical marketing with Mia Fileman) is exactly why for a long time I’ve been ashamed to be a marketer with a degree in marketing. Because marketing is twisted. It plays on our weaknesses, our ignorance, on the truth. It’s also why I am now a copywriter for brands with conscience. Because I want to help the good ones – the people who give a damn about tomorrow with the impact and actions of today.
Greenwashing is misleading customers at the cost of the planet. It’s unsustainable - the world has long known about the limited resources we have. It’s a false economy for the earth. For example, products labelled “compostable” without any mention of Australian standards as home compostable are not actually meant to break down in your garden compost. They just say that so you feel better about buying it – it’s playing on your guilt and targeting the consumers who do care about their impact on the planet.
We have to do better.
What’s banned?
In January 2024, the EU declared these are the greenwashing terms they will ban unless you have certified third party proof:
Environmentally friendlyNaturalBiodegradableClimate neutralEcoThese new rules make product labelling clearer and more trustworthy – without vague green claims. The proof for green claims must come from an independent certified authority, which could be something in Australia like B Corp, Australian Certified Organic, Australasian Bioplastics Association, Forest Stewardship Council certified etc.
This HUGE change will come into force by the end of 2026. European brands are scrambling to sort out their products, sourcing, messaging and packaging right now.
If you’re thinking “This is excellent – but what does it mean for Australia?” I’ll let the European Parliament’s rapporteur Biljana Borzan (S&D, HR) tell you.
“People will be able to choose products that are more durable, repairable and sustainable thanks to reliable labels and advertisements. Most importantly, companies can no longer trick people by saying that plastic bottles are good because the company planted trees somewhere – or say that something is sustainable without explaining how. This is a big win for all of us!”
Australia often follows the EU’s lead… we have strong political, economic and cultural ties with the EU, working closely to meet shared global responsibilities such as promoting sustainable development, tackling climate change and respect for international law. In December 2023, the ACCC launched new guidelines for making environmental claims for business, which could be the perfect launchpad for adopting the EU’s greenwashing ban here.
If we see it roll out successfully there, I hope we will learn and copy.
What does this mean for Australian small business?
Good things, many good things – for people, planet and hopefully profit.
Better choices and empowered buying.
You’ll have 100% confidence that your purchases are planet friendly. You won’t need to double think and do your own research to determine if something is genuinely sustainable. You can trust brands more. You can make a more informed decision from the get-go.
You’ll be presented with more durable products (take that, Kmart crap) and considered end-of-life destination. Closed loop systems will rise and become more of a mainstream concept.
For business, transparency will be clearer than ever. No hiding, obfuscating or twisting the story.
The playing field will be levelled – big brands can’t use their dollars, shelf space and brand power to slug us with deceptive marketing.
If brands are greenwashing, they’re going to lose some serious (brand) face. No one likes being lied to. We vote with our dollars.
With so much manufactured in China and cheaper labour countries, this could also mean they have to pull up their socks with manufacturing and product creation – or the lose contracts. It might mean their environment fares better too, if they’re creating less chemical, single use junk that bleeds into their land also. One effect could be that more products are made in the country their sold where we can be sure of environmental standards. Which could mean more jobs stay here – but may also mean prices rise.
Ok so what does all this mean for product copy and messaging?
If you’re doing the right thing and can back up your sustainability claims with certified third party proof, soldier on, legend. If you don’t have that proof – get it. And be upfront that you’re working towards it.
The greenwashing ban in Australia could also mean your copy has…
Tighter product descriptions – no vague or exaggerated eco claims, just the truth about a product’s environmental impact.You may need to provide more details about how your product is sustainable through things like materials, production, energy usage, end of life etc.Fact-focused messaging that flicks the fluff – and that doubles down on the fact checking.More meaningful messaging that reframes your brand as truly, deeply eco friendlyHonesty – it reigns, like never before.What next?
The EU has to legalise these bans and make them law. Sit tight until November 2024 for that to lock into place. Then we see what greenwashing moves Australia makes.
What do you think these changes will mean for Australian small business? Join the chat in this episode’s notes on Spotify, comment on the post on Instagram or email me. And if you need help to get your brand messaging right, I could be the copywriter you need.
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GRAB YOUR FREE ARTICULATE YOUR AUDIENCE WORKBOOK
Sources
Climate Council
UN
European Parliament
European Union External Action
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An comm brand built on body positivity, Mama Movement is the dream of ex- corporate mousewheeler, Faye Tan. Bright, booty loving and sustainably made, you’re about to hear how she grew her business from zero to babOOM without sacrificing on values.
+ The story of P!NK owning a Mama Movement piece
+ Faye’s evolution from dull corporate life to CEO of one of Australia’s fastest growing sustainable clothing labels
+ The moment she started to make actual income
+ Why body positivity is her credo
+ Busting toxic ideals on body image
+ Gaining traction as an ecomm in this tough economy
+ Growing from her garage to warehouse
+ Her content strategy unpacked
+ Scaling… and then killing her popular swimwear product lines
+ What’s next for Mama Movement
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Check out Mama Movement
FREE ARTICULATE YOUR AUDIENCE DOWNLOAD
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Connection is why we’re in business and it’s absolutely what your client or buyer is seeking, whether they realise it or not. I dive into this topic with Suz Chadwick, Business & Certified Mindset Coach who helps you build a BRAVE & BOLD personal brand and profitable business. Tune in to uncover the ingredients of sticky, magnetic brands that connect:
Why we crave connection through brandsWe buy what we want to do, be and haveHow identity and values effect your buyingWhy we need brands that connectHow we build oneUnderstand what it is you’re here to doHow branding makes us moneyMetrics that matter for measuring brand connectionThe personal brand economy eraBlocks business owners face when building a connection-driven brandsShowing up as the real Suz ChadwickBalance is BSFREE ARTICULATE YOUR AUDIENCE DOWNLOAD
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Marketing trends – do you get on board? Or stick to your own thing? Whatever works for your small business, it’s worth being aware of what 2024 has in store for marketing because it's is one thing we can’t go without. Listen in to hear this year’s trends from Shay Bianco, founder of Shay Bianco Marketing. She’s your marketing buddy, here to take the dread out of marketing and show you the “how” while getting the results you want.
Hit play for 2024 marketing predictions and:
Conversions don’t come from riding the trend waveWhy she’s never followed any marketing trends2024 marketing trends:Nostalgia and comfortKnowing your audiencePersonalisationAIOmni-channel marketingOG marketing principles still have a role todayWays to know your audienceWhat Shay’s own marketing strategy looks likeROI and metrics Shay’s achievingHow to use lead magnets, email marketing, SEO, dark social and more this yearDark social and how it’s changing the marketingscapeDo we still need humanity in marketing in 2024?Why Shay works 4 hours a day, 4 days a weekFREE ARTICULATE YOUR AUDIENCE DOWNLOAD
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Info on dark social
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Sustainable skincare is a massive industry and one I’m exploring in this ep with Christie McGann from vegan skin are and make up brand, The Bod Society. From her carport in 2018 to buying a factory in 2022 and winning awards, hers is truly a story of a brand that’s aligned with her life and values. Listen in to hear:
Where Christie started and where she is nowHow her own growth and life experiences have shaped The Bod SocietyHow she creates effective products that are eco friendly, vegan, natural, cruelty free and sustainably sourcedSmall batch vs mass productionThe dark truths in the beauty industry Christie’s determined to flip by owning an ethical brandHow she stand out and rise above in such a crowded industryBeing the face of the brand as well as the bossBalancing motherhood with business ownershipWinning business awards as a mumChristie’s driving forceWork with me
Check out The Bod Society
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Not all business awards are created equal. Which is why I’m chatting with Erin Huckle, awards writer and PR pro from Chuckle Communications. She works for creative, innovative and ethical businesses and has an 89% success rate helping clients win or be a finalist in awards.
Why awards are good for your businessWhat judges are looking for in your entryBenefits of winning (the good)Awards with questionable cred – what to look for to know it’s worth your time (the bad)Award programs as sales funnels (the ugly)Pay to play – should we have to pay to enter awards?Practical ways to harness your award to reach more people and growHow to write a powerful award entryPR for small business tipsWork with me
Work with Erin + get your awards calendar
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Greenwashing – it’s often more grey than green. In this chat, I untangle sustainability messaging with Sam Rankin. She’s a sustainability copywriter, environmental science grad and fellow mountain bike rider. Sam’s business is Copy Circle and rocks the vanlife writing for conscious brands while she trips around, looking for surf breaks, adventure and nature.
Grab a cuppa, your sneakers, dog or some you time and hear:
What greenwashing isCommon greenwashing terms in brand messagingSEO keywords and greenwashingGreenwashing tactics explainedShady greenwashing examplesWhat to do if your client is greenwashingRadical transparencyBrands doing sustainability messaging wellGreenhushing explainedThe outcome for brands that don’t do sustainability properlyHow to know a business is truly sustainableGovernment small biz guidelines for sustainability messagingProof that community over competition is more than a hashtagACCC Sustainability Guidelines for Business
Sustainability certifications to guide your buying (or aim for as a business owner):
BCorpCertified compostableFair TradeCertified OrganicFSCGOTSOEKOCarbon neutralLocal or artisan madeWork with me
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Capacity, time, energy. If these are areas in which you want to do better press play for this chat with Hollie Barac, capacity advocate and time management specialist. No stranger to chronic pain, Hollie is a wise asset for small business owners and brilliant at reminding you that rest is productive.
What a capacity advocate and time management specialist doesHollie’s health journeyHow it’s redefined the way she worksListening to your bodyProtecting your energy as a small business ownerReframing the concept of rest from reward to essentialNeurodivergency in small business3 ways to boost your capacityWork with me
Work with Hollie
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Press play to learn about Alepp, a social enterprise that puts 100% of profits to support asylum seekers and refugees in Australia. Kate Ryan sources soap from Syria that’s made of two ingredients, is plastic free and brings spreads goodness from all sides. Hear us chat about:
Why Kate chose Syria, this cause and this productSourcing from Syrian soapmakers at the whim of warBeing clear on who she is, her purpose, mission and valuesHow do we do the most good?Challenges of running a social enterpriseWhat keeps Kate doing thisThe current situation for refugees and asylum seekers in AustraliaBrand building when every dollar after costs goes back in to the businessSecuring stockistsSimple ideas are the hardestHow to choose and support a charity through your businessCheck out Alepp
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Travel while working, processes that back you to do that and an insight into Paris life. Some of the topics I cover with Michelle Teo from Rounded in this ep. Head of marketing for Rounded - Aussie made accounting software for freelancers and solo operators, Michelle has nailed the expat/travel life and shares what it’s like now.
Hit play to hear:
How Michelle engineered working in Paris (as an Australian)The balance of working for Rounded and running her own business, Demand ConversionWhy travel with work is such an alluring comboThe different versions of yourself when you’re in a new placeHer roles as a mentor for North Korean defectors, a tutor for torture survivors and refugees and later an energy economistThe systems she relies on to support her lifestyleAutomation and processes for all small biz ownersSlowing down amps up productivityParisian flânerie and ways of lifeMichelle’s definition of successGET 20% OFF AN ANNUAL ROUNDED SUBSCRIPTION 💥
Use code SHINE20A
20% off any annual subscription plan (on top of the in built discount)For 1st time customers onlyCan only be redeemed once per customerCode is case sensitiveWork with me
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Try Rounded
Follow Michelle on LinkedIn
Systems & tools Michelle mentioned in this ep:
Slack
Notion
Writer
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Plug in your headphones for this chat with Remi Audette, SEO guru from Sunday Best Digital. Remi leads an SEO agency that focuses on brand building and she’s all about getting your brand searched for, not just found. My go-to with the latest SEO knowledge, Remi and I tackle all things AI, SEO, GSE and whatever other acronyms we can find.
Where to get credible, straight-from-the-source SEO infoSimplifying one of the most recent Google updates, SGE – search generative experienceWhy your biz needs conversational content to rankSGE means we can’t depend on organic search traffic as much as we haveAI will NOT replace SEO copywritersAI for SEO as a wholeWays you can harness AI in your businessBeing a female in a manboss industryHow Remi knew it was time to move from her 9-5 to her own businessWork with me
Get 10 DIY SEO wins you can make today 🏆
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Settle in to hear Kate Toon and I unpack originality, personal branding and giving yourself space to evolve as a business owner. Kate is a business mentor, digital marketing coach, SEO teacher and self-described misfit entrepreneur. From copywriter to the Beyonce of SEO, TV celeb to author about to launch her next book, Kate is a wise, witty legend.
Podcasts are damn hard workWhat writing – and launching – a book is likeHer evolution from paper round subbie to digital marketing coach, membership leader, global SEO expert and authorIntuitive direction (like a poo stick floating down the river)No longer being know for the thing she started out doingShowing the real Kate Toon as a (kind of) business celebProtecting her originality and Kate’s epiphany captured live on my podHow Kate defines successBelly laughs and grinsWork with me
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Get Kate’s latest book, Six Figures in Six Hours
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Hear Kristy Pask, small business marketing and mindset coach, chat with me on perfectionism, how it’s held her back and the lessons she has to share.
Hit play to learn:
Finding herself lost and restricted by her nicheSaying yes when you want to say noHow it feels to be weighed down by perfectionismHow perfectionism held her backThe things she would have done differentlyRecovering from perfectionismDiscomfort of boundaries – and sticking to themIdentifying triggers of perfectionismHow to escape the perfectionism trapLife on the other side of perfectionismWork with Kristy
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Say hello 👋 to Mia Fileman, marketing strategist and campaign guru from Campaign Del Mar. Mia deserves a place in your brain for her take on icky marketing tactics and keeping it real in small business.
🎧 Hit play to learn:
Pull vs push in bound marketing to attract your ideal buyerNot treating consumers as idiotsWeaponising psychology and invented authority (coaches beware)BS radar fine tuningWhat is a campaign?Why I’ve never done oneWhy you shouldn’t put all your eggs in the IG basketBrand control - paid, earned and owned channelsCurrent shady marketing tactics to avoidWhy NOT to go on saleSuccess = working barefoot, no bra and freedomWork with Mia
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Link to solo episode I mentioned in this ep
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Hear marketing strategist, Loan Kien from The Digital Octopus, share her wisdom on making marketing work for you. An eccom marketing expert, Loan tells us the keys to shaping a thriving vs stumbling brand.
Hit subscribe & play to learn:
Why eccom is her nicheHer solid marketing framework that grounds every projectClarifying your brand as the go toWhy the best communicator always winsWhat separates thriving vs stumbling brandsSocial content that works for Loan – memes aint all, gfBorrowed, earned and paid media explainedMust have email automations for service & eccom brandsWork with Loan
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Hear Darby Lyndon, brand and content strategist, reveal all on content creation to build your brand. Darby loves helping small business owners who have left the corporate world to serve others in their own special way.
Settle in and learn:
+ The leap from corporate life to full time in her own business
+ Brand therapy to clear blocks
+ The risk of offering new services/products – and ideas for testing them out
+ Content creation – what, why, where and how
+ Cross pollination and evergreen content
+ Removing fear in thought leadership
+ Common content mistakes
+ Reaching a new audience without paid ads
+ How to understand your audience
+ Managing imposter syndrome
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Please leave me a review on Apple or rating on Spotify 🙏
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I’m chatting with Nikki O’Brien, podcast coach from Quintessential Being. Ex-radio announcer, audio addict and soul-led creative, she’s a dedicated vegan chocolate lover.
Hit play to learn about:
Coming up with the idea for her businessShifting from radio announcer to podcast coachBeing a single mum while running her businessListening to her soul at every stepWhy podcasting is a powerful marketing toolBasics to start your own podcastThe value of conversational-style podcastsHow to pitch to be a podcast guestHer most game changing moveFind Nikki at Quintessential Being and a killer freebie here.
Find me at Shine Copy and on Instagram.
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OUT - word of the year.
IN – one question to ask yourself every day, that will reframe the way you do business (and life).
In my first solo episode, I share the one question I’m asking myself everyday this year. I’ve never done the whole “word of the year” thing. I like to go with the flow. And I don’t feel I need a word to set my direction or intention.
Instead, this year, I’m asking myself one question.
Because I’m no longer doing things because I think that’s what I'm supposed to do, as a business owner. Or as a mother. Or as a human.
Hit PLAY to hear:
+ Why I’m asking this question (and why you should too)
+ How to get hardcore perspective on why you do all the things
+ How to clear mental space and ease the load
+ The possibility of change and what that can bring you
+ Goals, doing more, smashing ceilings and earning more isn’t all it’s hyped to be
+ Now is enough
I’d love to know how this episode touched you. Email me or DM me anytime. I’ll always reply to every message.
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Lisa Byrne is an ecomm marketing coach who helps women create sustainable organic marketing strategies to grow their brands. I’ve known Lisa for a few years and I love her uncomplicated way of helping small businesses grow.
Hit play to learn:
Risks, spending and snagging her first clientHer journey to becoming an ecomm biz coachWhy she swears by having her own business coachGrowing with ease by focusing on one offeringWhy women aren’t aligned with the masculine mindsetFeminine gifts and wisdomHow traditional gender roles *still* hold us backValuing your time more than moneyDoing biz without social mediaAdvice for ecomm biz owners struggling to scaleWork with Lisa
https://lisabyrne.com.au/
Work with me
https://www.shinecopy.com.au/
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https://instagram.com/shinecopy
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Brand voice and values are major elements of your brand. But they’re kinda intangible and hard to wrap your head around – especially if writing isn't your thing. In this ep, I’m chatting with Cherie Donnellan, copywriter and marketing coach to unpack it.
Hear all this and more:
Coming back to work after having her second bubWFH with her husband sharing the parenting loadHer evolution from journalist to small biz ownerNestling into your nicheWhat brand voice is and why you need oneInfusing your values into your marketing and copy The value of brand storytellingBonds and some small biz that are doing brand voice ridic wellConsistency is better than loudnessRapid fire Q&A goldWork with me
https://www.shinecopy.com.au/
Find me on Instagram
https://instagram.com/shinecopy
Work with Cherie
https://cheriedonnellan.com/
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