Environmental claims on goods and services
Green Claims Code checklist
Guide
When making green claims, your business must comply with consumer protection law.
It is also essential to comply with any sector or product specific laws that apply to your product or service. Before making a green claim, you should understand how your product, brand or business has an impact, both positively and negatively, on the environment for its whole life cycle.
Green claims checklist
When making a green claim, your business should be able to answer 鈥榶es鈥 or agree to each of the following statements:
- The claim is accurate and clear for all to understand.
- There鈥檚 up-to-date, credible evidence to show that the green claim is true.
- The claim clearly tells the whole story of a product or service; or relates to one part of the product or service without misleading people about the other parts or the overall impact on the environment.
- The claim doesn鈥檛 contain partially correct or incorrect aspects or conditions that apply.
- Where general claims - for example 鈥渆co-friendly鈥, 鈥済reen鈥 or 鈥渟ustainable鈥 are being made, the claim reflects the whole life cycle of the brand, product, business or service and is justified by the evidence.
- If conditions or caveats apply to the claim, they鈥檙e clearly set out and can be understood by all.
- The claim won鈥檛 mislead customers or other suppliers.
- The claim doesn鈥檛 exaggerate its positive environmental impact, or contain anything untrue 鈥 whether clearly stated or implied.
- Durability or disposability information is clearly explained and labelled.
- The claim doesn鈥檛 miss out or hide information about the environmental impact that people need to make informed choices.
- Information that really can鈥檛 fit into the claim can be easily accessed by customers in another way, for example a QR code, website etc.
- Features or benefits that are necessary standard features or legal requirements of that product or service type, aren鈥檛 claimed as environmental benefits.
- If a comparison is being used, the basis of it is fair and accurate, and is clear for all to understand.