The GreenwashingChecker is like Grammarly for sustainability advertising: an online tool that detects misleading company claims and provides transparent, legally compliant alternatives.
We already have a prototype. Now we want to further develop it and turn it into a real startup.
To do that, we’re looking for a co-founder in the field of law:
- You develop a concept for an automated, AI-based greenwashing risk analysis based on current legislation surrounding sustainability advertising in Germany.
- You work closely with your two team members from the fields of environmental science and software development.
- You also establish contacts with law firms, corporate legal departments, and other interesting people in sustainability communication.
You can work full-time or part-time, even alongside your studies. You can, but do not have to, have a degree. As a co-founder, you can also secure a start-up grant of €1,200 to €3,000 per month to fully focus on the experience of founding a start-up. A start-up semester as a break from university is also possible!
Interested? Then send Moritz a message: mliebold@smail.uni-koeln.de.
The Problem: Greenwashing.
Many companies promote their products with environmental claims like climate neutral or sustainable. However, 53% of all environmental claims are misleading (EU Commission 2024).
The result:
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Companies sell more products that harm the environment.
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Consumers are misled and lose trust in truly sustainable solutions.
The Solution: Stricter Laws.
To combat greenwashing, two new EU directives will tighten German law starting in 2026: the Empowering Consumers Directive and the Green Claims Directive.
These laws define who is allowed to make which environmental claims and when. What do terms like sustainable and climate neutral actually mean? Which labels are permitted? And what happens if companies break the rules?
That’s good news! Because greenwashing will become significantly more difficult.
But: New Laws Create New Problems.
The new legal requirements will dramatically increase the bureaucratic burden for companies. As a result, they’ll have three options:
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Make their advertising legally compliant themselves – but they lack the legal expertise, and retraining staff is expensive.
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Have every environmental claim reviewed – which might even become mandatory by 2027 under the Green Claims Directive. The EU estimates that reviewing just one claim, like 100% plastic-free packaging, could cost around €500. Multiply that by all claims for all products across all media (packaging, website, flyers, etc.), and it becomes extremely costly and time-consuming.
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Avoid environmental claims altogether – especially for smaller companies that actually offer future-proof solutions, but can’t afford options #1 or #2. In the end, only big companies—often the ones exploiting loopholes—can afford to advertise with sustainability.
The Solution: The GreenwashingChecker.
The GreenwashingChecker automatically detects misleading environmental claims and delivers legally compliant alternatives within seconds.
As a result …
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… companies can communicate more honestly and in compliance with the law – especially those that otherwise couldn’t afford it.
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… reviews take just 10 seconds, instead of waiting weeks for an external audit.
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… the cost is only €60 per month for all claims, instead of €500 for a single claim.
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… consumers receive transparent information and can start trusting truly sustainable solutions again.
Target Audience: Companies Communicating Sustainability Efforts.
80% of all companies in the EU use environmental claims in their marketing (EU Commission 2024). Nearly all of them will have to comply with stricter greenwashing laws starting in 2026. The market is huge!
Our core target group for now: Companies with 10+ employees, and Brands that are strongly positioned around sustainability, as they will be particularly affected by the new EU directives.
The Competition: Incomplete.
As far as we know, there is no comparable solution in the English-speaking market. The current options are either:
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Slow, expensive, and uncertain, when companies try to check their advertising in-house,
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Fast and cheap, but unreliable, when they use ChatGPT or similar tools, or
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Legally compliant, but costly and slow, when external law firms or agencies review their ads.
Our USPs:
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The world’s first text-based greenwashing checker for companies
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Instant results in seconds instead of waiting weeks
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Just €60 per month instead of €500 per manual review
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User-friendly interface that’s easy to navigate
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Project with an academic background from the University of Cologne
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Polished branding with strong recognition value
Our Business Model:
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A tool with a free trial and a paid premium version
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Manual reviews for complex cases – either done by us or by recommended agencies/law firms for a commission
Our Path: Milestones and the Future.
Milestones we’ve already achieved:
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500 users of the prototype since its launch in December 2024
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Ranked 17th (with over 883 votes out of 2,000+ submissions) in ZEIT ONLINE’s idea competition
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#3 ranking on Google for „greenwashing check“
Next steps and vision:
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Align the tool with current and upcoming EU directives and German legislation
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Use AI and large language models to make the tool smarter – understanding ad context, checking legal aspects, and providing tailored suggestions
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Establish the tool as a freemium model in the German market – and once that’s successful, expand to other countries
Our target: Launch the final version in early 2026, when the stricter EU regulations take effect in Germany.
The Team: Environmental Scientist & Software Engineer.
The GreenwashingChecker currently has only one founder: me, Moritz. I’m completing my M.Sc. in Environmental Sciences (IMES) at the University of Cologne this year. The topic of my master’s thesis is greenwashing. In addition to my studies, I work as a copywriter for sustainable companies. I’m in contact with many advertising and legal departments of companies looking for solutions to the greenwashing challenge.
A software developer with a focus on AI development will join the team as a co-founder. We’re currently in the final stages of the onboarding process.
In addition, the GreenwashingChecker has been part of enactus Köln e.V. since April 2025: Students at the University of Cologne can support the project on a voluntary basis.
You Can Become a Co-Founder!
To turn the GreenwashingChecker into a sustainable startup, we are looking for a co-founder:
Law Student / Graduate
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You’re either studying law or have a law degree
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You’ll dive into EU and German greenwashing regulations
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In collaboration with the team, you’ll create the legal foundation for the GreenwashingChecker
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You’ll also help build partnerships with law firms and related agencies
- You can support us full-time, part-time, or with just a few hours a week during your studies
Your Benefits
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Help build a startup from the ground up and gain real-world experience
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As a co-founder, you’ll be in charge of your area and make key decisions
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If we succeed, you’ll have a great self-employed role with lots of impact
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If we don’t (which is always a possibility), your startup experience will set you apart in the job market
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You’ll very likely qualify for a startup grant, worth €1,200–€3,000 per month
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With a “founders’ semester” (or more), you can easily pause your studies to focus fully on the project
Interested?
Just send an email to mliebold@smail.uni-koeln.de with a few details about yourself. Then we’ll chat about your questions, our ideas, and how we can build the GreenwashingChecker together.
Let’s fight greenwashing – together!
