Tuesday, October 9, 2012

FTC's New Guidance Has Teeth to Go After Greenwashing


 Law & The Environment 

Published by 

Foley & Haog LLP

Posted on October 3, 2012 by Amy Boyd

Companies who want to market their products as being good for the environment will need to back up their claims more carefully, in light of the Federal Trade Commission's new environmental marketing guidelines, released this week.  The "Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims," or Green Guides, updated for the first time since 1998, discourage companies from using broad claims like "green," "eco-friendly", or "environmentally preferable" that are difficult, if not impossible, to substantiate.  Although the guidelines are not formal rules, they do specify how FTC will enforce US marketing laws.
Instead, environmental claims should be clear, prominent, and specific -- and be supported by scientific evidence.
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For more information, the FTC's blog has a useful post, and the agency's environmental marketing websitecontains even more detail on both the revised guides and other FTC programs.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

This should pretty well wrap up the wind industry. if all of a sudden they have to start verifying any of their claims,such as, lowering carbon emmissions, they are screwed!!

Anonymous said...

That should wrap it up for the town boards endorsement of a commercial solar project in Cape Vincent too.

Same nonsense especially if BP is the builder as the town is suggesting in their letter to the PSC.

Anonymous said...

That should wrap it up for the town boards endorsement of a commercial solar project in Cape Vincent too.

Same nonsense especially if BP is the builder as the town is suggesting in their letter to the PSC.