There’s no bigger story emerging in marketing right now than the sustainability story. As consumers and brands alike are becoming more attuned to it, there’s a very important insight that no brand or marketing professional can afford to miss: Sustainability isn’t just “green.”

What we’re seeing right now is a lot of what we call “knee-jerk green marketing” and it’s a big mistake. Companies are jumping on the green bandwagon because they think that’s the only way to get on the sustainability wave. What’s dangerous is that it’s leading to a lack of authenticity because it’s often done indiscriminately and without rigor. When brands make vague, philosophical claims about their pro-environment values, but don’t support them with specific, observable actions, it diminishes the eco story for everyone and begins to spark a backlash. Consumers are seeing the same colors, fonts, language, and imagery (lots of Earth images, smiling babies, trees, and so on) used across multiple categories, from hotels to food to packaged goods to fashion, and it’s not ringing true. They’re hearing warm and fuzzy statements about how much a company cares—and occasionally, misleading claims about what steps they’re taking to be planet protectors—and their b.s detectors are on alert.

In fact, Marketing magazine recently reported on a survey that showed four out of five Britons suspect companies are getting away with “green murder”—exploiting environmental concerns to make them look good. And the Advertising Standards Authority is receiving an increasing number of complaints about it.

What’s happening is simple: Brands that haven’t taken an in-depth look at what sustainability actually means think that “green” is the sustainability story they need to be talking about, and they are rushing into something that isn’t right for them. Often, they are totally missing their own, brand-specific sustainability story, one that can powerfully express real actions and real values around other facets of sustainability.

Helping brands to understand this is what our company, CI, specializes in. When looking for the opportunity in the current ‘green rush’ we recommend avoiding knee-jerk green marketing and engaging in a process of introspection, innovation and strategic thinking to cultivate something far richer and, yes, far more sustainable, for your business.