Defra today
published new Green Claims Guidance to help companies describe the
environmental credentials of their products in a way that people
find easier to understand.
The Guidance is designed to help consumers make more informed
judgements about what they buy, prevent misleading claims and
encourage the development of greener products.
As people look to purchase more products promising less
environmental impact they often have to face a confusing array of
advertising labels. More products enter the market every day and
they tend to bring a new crop of environmental terms along with
them – while recycling is well understood newer phrases like
‘negative carbon footprint’ can seem more confusing.
Research suggests that consumers find it difficult to know which
products are better for the environment. At the same time,
businesses faced with a crowded marketplace can find it difficult
to communicate about genuine improvements they have made to their products.
Environment Minister Lord Henley said:
“Sales of ‘green’ goods contribute billions of pounds towards the
economy while helping to reduce our impact on the environment. If
people are making the effort to buy green it is only right that we
try to make the process as easy as possible. Our guide will make
things easier for both business and consumer – helping restore
public faith in environmental advertising and acting as a resource
for companies developing more sustainable products.”
Corporate Sustainability Manager for Marks & Spencer,
Rowland Hill said:
“We welcome the new Green Claims Guidance which will help
companies to market products and services that are more
sustainable. It’s in everybody’s best interest that sustainable
products are legitimately promoted to replace less sustainable
alternatives. Marks & Spencer launched sustainability
targets back in 2007 to help our customers live more sustainably
and make informed choices about what they buy.”
Environment Manager for The Co-operative Food, Iain Ferguson
said:
“We welcome Defra’s updated Guidance which is designed to make
products’ environmental claims more robust for the benefit of
customers while keeping abreast of a fast-developing market. We
are delighted to have assisted in this review process, having
applied the Guidance since it was first published in 2003.”
Defra’s new updated Guidance is informed by a suite of research
and recommends that companies use clear language when making
environmental claims. Findings indicated that while participants
were familiar with a range of different terms, some phrases like
‘energy efficient’ were better understood than others such as
‘carbon negative’.
Businesses are encouraged to follow three key ‘steps’ in order to
build consumer confidence in the environmental attributes of their
products:
Ensure the content of the claim is relevant and reflects a
genuine benefit to the environment;
Present the claim clearly and accurately; and
Ensure the claim can be substantiated.
The Guidance is designed as a proactive toolkit - using
principles and practical examples to help businesses get their
green claims right. Read
the full Guidance or the shorter ‘quick guide’.
Notes to Editors:
The Co-operative’s annual ethical consumerism report shows
spending on ‘green’ products in Britain increased from £1.4bn 1999
to £7bn in 2009.The Guidance is an update to Defra’s previous
Green Claims – Practical Guidance (2003) and Green Claims Code
(2000) reflecting changes in the market since that time. The
Guidance went through public consultation in 2010 and is widely
supported by industry as important to help provide clarity in the
market. The updated Guidance took into consideration the
consultation responses and aimed to make the document more
user-friendly with clearer examples to illustrate the principles.
It also draws on wider research commissioned by Defra, including:
Consumer understanding of green terms (Brook Lyndhurst and Icaro
Consulting, 2011)An assessment of green claims in marketing (Brook
Lyndhurst, Icaro Consulting and AAI+Friends, 2010)An assessment of
green claims on products (Five Winds International, 2010) The
Guidance was updated with assistance of a steering group that
included the Advertising Standards Authority, Advertising
Association, Department of Business Innovation and Skills, British
Retail Consortium, CBI, Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM),
Chartered institute of Public Relations (CIPR), COI, Consumer
Focus, DECC, Department for Transport, Forum for the Future,
Institute for Practitioners in Advertising (IPA), ISBA, Office of
Fair Trading, Sustainable Development commission.
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Contacts:
Defra Press Office
Phone: 020 7238 6600
NDS.DEFRA@coi.gsi.gov.uk
James Dubrey
Phone: 020 7238 6027
james.dubrey@defra.gsi.gov.uk