subject: Green Marketing and Possible New FTC Guidelines [print this page] Green Marketing and Possible New FTC Guidelines
If you're a green marketer, pay attention: the FTC wants to clarify what you legally may or may not say in your advertising.
In particular, they want to stop the phenomenon of "greenwashing" as a marketing practice, where marketers make broad, unsubstantiated and all-too-often deceptive claims that their products are "green" or "eco-friendly".
As a result, the FTC is not only proposing substantial changes to their advertising guidelines, they're adding several new guidelines as well.
It's interesting to note that three popular phrases "sustainable", "natural" and "organic" are not covered by the proposal. The FTC says these terms are already covered under Department of Agriculture regulations, even though earlier this year the FTC did send warning letters to 78 retailers, including Wal-Mart and Target, for incorrectly advertising rayon clothing as made of bamboo.
Here is a summary of the new guidelines the FTC wants to see. Read through them, and be prepared to provide feedback; the FTC wants to know what you think. They're asking the public for comments (you can submit your comments online) until December 10, 2010; they'll issue their final guidelines in the first half of 2011.
Proposed New Guidelines
"Made with Renewable Materials"
Marketers must provide specific information such as what the renewable material is, how it is sourced, and why it is renewable.
Marketers must qualify if the item is not entirely made from renewable materials.
"Made with Renewable Energy"
Marketers must qualify their claim if the power used to manufacture any part of the product was derived from fossil fuels.
Marketers must specify the source of the renewable energy.
Marketers must qualify if any of the significant manufacturing processes involved in making the product or package were powered with renewable energy or conventional energy offset by renewable energy certificates (RECs).
Marketers that generate renewable energy but sell RECs for all of the renewable energy they generate should not represent that they use renewable energy.
"Carbon Offsets"
Marketers need scientific evidence to support carbon offset claims and must use appropriate accounting methods to properly quantify emission reductions.
Marketers must disclose if the offset they've bought will not reduce emissions for two years or longer.
Marketers may not advertise carbon offsets if the offsets are required by law.
Again, the FTC wants to hear your opinions on this proposal. Visit https://ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ftc/revisedgreenguides by December 10 to submit your comments directly to the FTC electronically!
