FTC proposes revisions to environmental marketing guides.
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Press Release Summary:
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has released proposed revisions to their Guides For The Use of Environmental Marketing Claims. Proposed revisions will help marketers avoid making misleading environmental claims, and will include guidance on use of product certifications and seals of approval, renewable energy claims, renewable materials claims, and carbon offset claims. Agency is seeking public comments on proposed changes until December 10, 2010.
Original Press Release:
Federal Trade Commission Releases Proposed Updated Environmental Marketing "Green Guides"
Updated Environmental Marketing "Green Guides"
Bloomington, IN - The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has released proposed revisions to their "Guides For The Use of Environmental Marketing Claims."
The proposed revisions to the "Green Guides will help marketers avoid making misleading environmental claims, which include new guidance on marketers' use of product certifications and seals of approval, "renewable energy" claims, "renewable materials" claims, and "carbon offset" claims.
The changes are designed to update the Guides and make them easier for companies to understand and use.
The FTC is seeking public comments on the proposed changes until December 10, 2010, after which it will decide which changes to make final."The FTC has added new terms and examples to their long-awaited expanded version of the Green Guides that will help companies reduce their risk of green washing and will help purchasers be more informed," said Steve Ashkin, President of The Ashkin Group. "I encourage all in the Green Cleaning industry to read through the document, forward it on, and provide their feedback."
The Green Guides were first issued in 1992, and revised in 1996 and 1998, to help marketers ensure that the claims they are making are true and substantiated.
"In recent years, businesses have increasingly used 'green' marketing to capture consumers' attention and move Americans toward a more environmentally friendly future. But what companies think green claims mean and what consumers really understand are sometimes two different things," said FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz. "The proposed updates to the Green Guides will help businesses better align their product claims with consumer expectations."
A summary of the proposed revised Guides can be found at: www.ftc.gov/os/2010/10/101006greenguidesproposal.pdf. A complete version of the revised Guides can be found at: http://ftc.gov/bcp/grnrule/guides980427.htm.
The FTC is accepting comments on the Guides until December 10, 2010. Comments can be submitted electronically at: https://ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ftc/revisedgreenguides.
About Stephen Ashkin and The Ashkin Group
Stephen P. Ashkin is president of The Ashkin Group, a consulting firm specializing in greening the cleaning industry, as well as Sustainablity Tool LLC, an electronic dashboard that allows jansan companies to measure, track and report on their facility's environmental impacts, He is also coauthor of both The Business of Green Cleaning and Green Cleaning for Dummies.
Ashkin has worked in the cleaning industry since 1981 and has held senior management positions in leading consumer and commercial product companies. He began his work on Green Cleaning in 1990 and today is thought of as the "father of Green cleaning". For more information, visit www.AshkinGroup.com.
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