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Module 6: Corporate Sustainability and Greenwashing

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About Course

By the end of this module, participants will be able to independently and critically investigate, interpret and contextualise corporate sustainability claims by systematically analysing disclosure practices, underlying methodologies, data boundaries and communication narratives. 

Participants will develop the capacity to evaluate the credibility and completeness of corporate climate information, with particular attention to lifecycle emissions, value-chain impacts and Scope 3 accounting, including the limitations, assumptions and sources of uncertainty that shape reported outcomes. 

Drawing on principles of climate science, regulatory frameworks and responsible corporate governance, participants will be able to scrutinise sustainability reports, ESG disclosures and public climate commitments, identify practices of omission, selective disclosure or methodological opacity, and distinguish evidence-based decarbonisation strategies from reputational messaging, strategic ambiguity or greenwashing.

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What Will You Learn?

  • Critically assess corporate sustainability claims within the context of climate change governance, disclosure regimes and public communication.
  • Identify and analyse ambiguity, selective disclosure and methodological inconsistencies in sustainability reporting, including lifecycle emissions and Scope 3 accounting.
  • Scrutinise sustainability reports, ESG statements and climate commitments using evidence-based and investigative journalistic approaches.
  • Distinguish between credible corporate decarbonisation strategies and greenwashing or reputational positioning.

Course Content

Introduction

  • Introduction
  • Expected Learning Outcomes

Chapter 1: The Rise of Corporate Sustainability in Climate Governance
This module situates corporate sustainability within the broader climate policy landscape. It explains how companies have become central actors in climate mitigation and how voluntary and mandatory disclosure frameworks shape public narratives.

Chapter 2: Understanding ESG, CSRD, and Disclosure Frameworks
Participants are introduced to the architecture of corporate sustainability reporting, with a focus on European regulation and global standards.

Chapter 3: Carbon Accounting and Climate Claims
This module demystifies the technical foundations of emissions reporting and climate targets, enabling journalists to interpret and question corporate data.

Chapter 4: Greenwashing – Concepts, Tactics, and Evolution
A deep dive into greenwashing as a systemic issue in corporate and financial communication.

Chapter 5: Reading Between the Lines – Analysing Reports and Claims
This module builds critical reading skills for corporate sustainability disclosures and marketing materials.

Chapter 6: The Social Dimension of Sustainability
Broadening the lens beyond carbon, this module addresses social sustainability and its relevance for journalism.

Conclusion & References

Final Test: Corporate Sustainability and Greenwashing

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