Environmental Claims

5 Environmental Claims

Central copy clearance is required. Sound factual evidence must support all claims.

a) Generalised claims for environmental benefit must be assessed on a ‘cradle to grave’ basis. The complete life-cycle of the product and its packaging, the environmental effects of its manufacture, use, disposal and all other relevant aspects must be taken into account;

b) Categorical statements such as ‘environment friendly’, ‘safe’ or ‘green’ are inappropriate;

c) Limited claims, relating to specific aspects of products or services, are acceptable in circumstances where more general ones cannot be justified;

d) Qualified claims (such as ‘friendlier’) are acceptable only where products/services can demonstrate significant advantages over competitors or improvements in, for example, the chemicals or packaging they use. In such cases the nature of the benefit must be explained, eg. "our unbleached nappies are kinder to the environment";

e) Claims based on the absence of a harmful chemical or damaging effect are unacceptable if the product category does not generally include the chemical or cause the effect. Claims for the absence of harmful constituents are also unacceptable if the product contains other, equally harmful elements. Spurious "free from X" claims are unacceptable.

Advertising should also follow the Green Claims Code, published by the Department of nvironment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).