Revised FTC ‘Green Guides’ Are Expected To Help Marketers Avoid Misleading Claims

In an effort to help marketers of products touted as “environmentally friendly” avoid making false or misleading environmental claims, the Federal Trade Commission on Oct. 1 issued revised “Green Guides.”

The FTC staff based the changes on a multiyear process that included “a wide range of public input, including hundreds of consumer and industry comments on previously proposed revisions,” workshops, and consumer protection perception studies involving more than 3,700 consumers.

In addition to including updates to the existing guides, this version contains several new sections “on the use of carbon offsets, ‘green’ certifications and seals, and renewable energy and renewable ...