Community Panel in Spain: Strengthening Local Dialogue on Sustainability and Greenwashing

As part of the project Empowering Youth for True Climate Action (EYTCA), Backslash organised a Community Panel in Spain bringing together stakeholders from different sectors connected to sustainability and youth work.

The session gathered professionals from:

• Sustainable audiovisual communication and anti-greenwashing
• Renewable and community energy
• Environmental education
• Social innovation and digital platforms
• Youth representation and non-formal education

From sustainability discourse to practical action

The discussion focused on the real challenges organisations face when trying to implement sustainable practices. Participants highlighted structural barriers such as:

• Bureaucracy and administrative complexity
• Lack of accessible sustainability advisory services
• Limited long-term planning culture
• Gaps in project management and financial competences

Beyond operational challenges, the session explored the growing issue of greenwashing. Participants reflected on how vague environmental claims can undermine trust and delay genuine climate solutions. The importance of evidence-based communication and critical thinking was emphasised as key competences for youth organisations.

Building stronger local networks

The Community Panel created a space for structured dialogue and exchange between sustainability professionals and youth-sector representatives. It reinforced the importance of practical tools, such as the Green Benchmark Tool developed within the project, to support organisations in assessing and improving their sustainability practices.

This local dialogue contributes to the broader objective of EYTCA: empowering youth organisations to move from symbolic environmental action towards informed, measurable and credible climate engagement.

The EYTCA project is co-funded by the European Union.