sustainwashing

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noun

The sustainability analogue of greenwashing (or subset thereof, in ecologic subsenses).

“wondering whether the advertisement's talk of sustainability might be a bit of sustainwashing”

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Meanings

nounsustainwashing (uncountable)
  1. uncountablegerund counterpart to; and coeval with; the present participial verb form; gerund counterpart to; and coeval with; the present participial verb formThe sustainability analogue of greenwashing (or subset thereof, in ecologic subsenses).

    wondering whether the advertisement's talk of sustainability might be a bit of sustainwashing

verb
  1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of sustainwash

Origin

From sustain + -wash + -ing, following the established pattern of greenwashing, pinkwashing, purplewashing, and similar forms (which came ultimately from the figurative-extension sense of whitewashing as "slapping a paintjob over the truth to hide it and to give a specious nice appearance").

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

sustainwashing. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sustainwashing

MLA

“sustainwashing.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sustainwashing. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sustainwashing,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sustainwashing.

Source: sustainwashing on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.