In Belgrade, at Marsh Open Space, the WARM UP – WASH UP 2025 event was held as a prelude to the Campaigns with a Purpose initiative, dedicated to the topic of greenwashing.
The event aimed to expose how socially responsible communication is often misused in the realm of “green marketing” – i.e., greenwashing – and to offer solutions for transformation.
On the occasion of this workshop, Tijana Adamov Ignjatović, founder of the NGO Žute Patalone and the Festival and platform CAMPAIGNS WITH A PURPOSE, emphasized:
“Socially responsible initiatives require a different approach, not only in terms of communication but also in terms of essential transformation. That’s why it’s important to have both qualitative and quantitative frameworks that can encourage companies to do good for their environment, while also benefiting individuals and their own businesses. This positive spiral leads us not only toward survival but toward collective progress. The goal of the educational segment of the ‘Campaigns with a Purpose’ platform remains to strengthen local capacities for creating aligned, ethical, efficient, and responsible business practices, using unique methodologies from international experts and credible data from the local market.”
Tijana Adamov Ignjatović
Željko Gajić, Compliance Manager at Banca Intesa, presented insights into the latest regulations and market expectations, offering concrete examples from practice. This gave participants a better understanding of how banks, as catalysts for change, influence the meaningful application of ESG principles across the market:
“There is no doubt that greenwashing has come under the spotlight of European regulators, which is a reliable sign that rules for ‘green’ advertising and the presentation of ecological credibility of companies and products will soon be adopted in our country as well. Given the already strict advertising rules for certain products, such as pharmaceuticals and banking, it’s very likely that local regulators will require so-called ‘green’ claims to be substantiated, verifiable, complete, and fair in comparison to competitors. This would reduce room for exaggeration or omission of information in advertising messages that may confuse consumers. We usually assume such measures would apply to certain traders, but the European Commission found that in recent years, almost half of all ‘green’ claims made by EU companies included elements of manipulation—whether intentional, due to ignorance, or as a result of poorly prepared communication.”
Željko Gajić
Digital marketing author and guru Marie-Alice Boyé and creative director Milan Janić, author of a unique neuroCSR study, provided context on greenwashing, clearly distinguishing it from “clean” communication. They also offered participants an opportunity to discover new transformation approaches through discussion and personal insights.
Using a specific fishbowl-style setup for discussion – which shifts the dynamic between speaker and participant – attendees were able to actively contribute to and co-create the conclusions of the workshop. In the hands-on section of the workshop, participants had the chance to test their newly acquired knowledge by identifying what does and does not constitute greenwashing, and ultimately, to creatively transform examples of greenwashing into something that no longer falls under that label.
Marie-Alice Boyé and Milan Janić
After the workshop, Marie-Alice Boyé stated: “Milan and I met in the future – in our desire for a positive and sustainable tomorrow. Because we believe that the future has yet to be invented, we want to use our skills to help shift behaviors and mindsets through good communication about socially responsible business. We are committed to applying our combined expertise in neuroscience, communication, design fiction, and digital marketing toward this goal.
With this event, we want to go beyond merely pointing out greenwashing. We want to help communications professionals in Serbia better understand how to build good and clean CSR communication. Our key message is: Don’t wash – be clean!”
Workshop participants included last year’s recipients of the CAMPAIGNS WITH A PURPOSE title, members of the Festival’s Honorary Selection Team, and experts in marketing and corporate communications, human resources, and sustainable development – all gathered with the goal of exploring, avoiding, and responding to greenwashing, which is, in fact, a good indicator that the market is evolving.
