CAP releases new guidance to help advertisers making green claims

The Committee of Advertising Practice has released new guidance and resources to better assist advertisers when making environmental claims about products. The guidance includes a practical guide and a checklist to help advertisers understand requirements.

The checklist advises that advertisers should keep the following in mind:

• What an average consumer may think the claim means
• Advertisers must ensure they have strong evidence to support claims
• Claims should be focussed on what evidence can support
• Advertisers must be transparent about their environmental initiatives and not mislead consumers
• Claims must be easy to understand

The accompanying guidance to the checklist, “Greenspeaking with confidence’’, contains practical examples and advice on advertisers’ social responsibility.  The guidance details how advertisers can qualify their claims by balancing information, ensuring any future-plans are verifiable, and limiting claims to relate to the initiative.

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