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Rainbow washing is the practice of making claims or commitments to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) without taking the actions required to realize them. ‘Washing’ is often specific to a particular issue area. ‘Green washing’ refers to unrealized commitments to environmentalism; ‘fair washing’ refers to overstated claims about the fairness of trading relationships; and ‘rainbow washing’ often refers to misrepresenting commitments to the SDGs, which are often visually represented using the colours of the rainbow. Rainbow washing includes claims about promoting all of the SDGs, while actually engaging only the most accessible one(s). While overstating claims can, at times, motivate action, rainbow washing is most often regarded as an impediment to sustainable development, as misinformation makes resource allocation and policymaking more challenging. Although several initiatives have emerged to facilitate more accurate reporting, they, too, can engage in or be (mis)used for ‘rainbow washing’.