Photo by Stephanie Staton
The Federal Trade Commission ’s Green Guide rescript are to ensure that your planet - friendly cleaner really is what it say .
permit ’s face it , green sells . consumer want products that are biodegradable , organic and made with renewable materials — and that means companies are eager to make those claims about their goodness and Robert William Service .
To protect consumers from assumed claims about eco - friendliness of products , the Federal Trade Commission begin publishing Green Guides in 1992 , to provide counselling to those who commercialise products and services about making licit environmental claims . In short , the Green Guides help define the meaning of various unripe labels , offer case for their fair use and attempt to deter marketer from making misleading environmental claim .
“ The Green Guides were designed to help avoid consumer deception , ” excuse Laura Koss , elderly attorney for the FTC . “ While the FTC does n’t give environmental performance criterion , it does make certain there is true statement in advertising . ”
The guide were revised in 1996 and 1998 , and now the FTC is working on another round of revisions that include , among other updates , new direction for the use of ware credential and seals of commendation . The revised Green Guides will also include road map for using claims that were not admit in past guides , including “ carbon outset ” and “ renewable cloth ” claim . The Green Guides do not address usance of the damage organic , natural and sustainable . constituent label , in peculiar , are govern by the USDA .
“ The revision address new claims that did n’t exist the last time the [ Green Guides ] were update , ” explicate Koss .
Among the proposed revisions , the FTC wants to introduce cautions about making general claims that a product is “ green ” or “ eco - friendly ” because those label hint far - reaching environmental benefits that are insufferable to substantiate .
Another proposed revision advises marketers about the proper habit of green seals and corroboration for their goodness and military service . The SEAL and certifications used should be clear , big and specific , and those that are incompetent — where there ’s no specific basis for certification — should be nullify .
While the guides are aimed at trafficker and not the general public , there are far - reaching benefits for consumer .
In a press exit issued by the FTC , chairman Jon Leibowitz excuse , “ What company think green call mean and what consumers really understand are sometimes two dissimilar thing . The suggest updates to the Green Guides will avail businesses good align their product claim with consumer expectation . ”
The FTC has legal power over assumed ad claims , which means legal action can be require against marketer who incorrectly further a product with a unripened recording label , such as biodegradable , orthophosphate - loose or made with renewable power . In other words , the steering set forth in the Green Guides help protect consumer from becoming dupe of green - wash .
Urban farmers who sell to the public ( or are thinking about take that whole tone in the future ) will benefit from advise changes to the Green Guides that make them easygoing to understand . According to Koss , cite the guides can help vendor continue “ on the proper side of the law ” and protect against possible legal action for making false title .
