Can You Say That? The New Rules of Sustainability Marketing

Intended workshop audience: Suitable for tourism operators, accommodation and hospitality providers, destination marketing professionals, communications and marketing teams, and visitor economy businesses promoting, or looking to promote, sustainability initiatives and experiences.

Workshop Description:

Did you know that from September 2026, new regulations will change how businesses can market sustainability claims to European consumers?

Meanwhile, in Australia, the regulatory and commercial environment is shifting rapidly. The ACCC is increasing its focus on greenwashing, sustainability disclosure requirements are expanding, booking platforms are demanding greater transparency, and consumers increasingly expect environmental claims to be backed by evidence.

Led by Lauren Cameron (TICT) and Joan-Maree Hargreaves (Senior Content Manager, Tourism Tasmania), the session combines regulatory insight with real-world tourism marketing experience to help businesses confidently navigate this rapidly changing landscape.

This practical workshop explores the new expectations around sustainability marketing, common risk areas, and the steps businesses can take now to ensure their claims are accurate, credible and defensible. Learn how to protect your brand, avoid greenwashing pitfalls, and communicate your sustainability efforts with confidence.

Why you shouldn't miss this session:

• Understand which sustainability claims are attracting increased regulatory and consumer scrutiny
• Learn which common marketing terms and phrases may expose your business to greenwashing risk
• Get ahead of emerging Australian and international regulations that could affect how you market your business and experiences
• Discover what evidence, data and documentation you need to confidently support sustainability claims
• Learn how to transform sustainability actions into compelling visitor stories that build trust and drive bookings
• See practical tourism examples of sustainability marketing done well, and what sets them apart

If you’re already doing the work on sustainability, this session will help you tell that story better - and get credit for it.

About Lauren - Carbon and Sustainability Advisor at TICT

Lauren Cameron is a sustainability and policy leader working at the forefront of tourism’s transition to a low-carbon future. As Carbon and Sustainability Advisor at the Tourism Industry Council Tasmania, she leads efforts to support industry decarbonisation, influence policy settings, and drive system-wide change across the state’s tourism sector.

Over the past four years, Lauren has worked closely with industry and government to navigate an increasingly complex sustainability landscape - translating emerging regulation, market expectations and global frameworks into practical action for operators. She is also the founder and convenor of the Australian TIC Sustainable Tourism Working Group, bringing together industry leaders nationally to collaborate on shared challenges and accelerate progress.

Lauren’s background spans the United Nations and environmental organisations across Asia, including work with the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP), where she focused on urban sustainability challenges such as waste, marine pollution and climate change in regional ocean cities.

About Joan-Maree - Senior Content Manager at Tourism Tasmania

Joan-Maree Hargreaves thinks a lot about what makes people pay attention.

She leads the Content Studio at Tourism Tasmania, where her job is to make sure Tasmania's stories reach the right people in the right way, across campaigns, channels, platforms, and the occasional awkward stakeholder meeting. She has been part of the team behind some of Tourism Tasmania's most talked-about campaigns, among them Odd Jobs and Winternships. She has written for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Sun-Herald, helped launch youth magazines in Germany and the UK, edited design and arts publications, curated exhibitions including work on typography, and co-authored Tasmania Living (Thames & Hudson) with Marita Bullock. She has also written two children's books, which require a surprisingly different skill set.

She thinks a lot about how operators can turn what they already do well into sustainability stories worth telling. She approaches all of it with a lot of curiosity, a little humour, and genuine care for the people behind the story.