Comms In a Changing World

Guidance and Legislation for Sustainability Claims

Managing the marketing and comms for any business demands a broad skillset. The ability to wear multiple hats and become an expert in a vast landscape of skill sets is an art in itself. ?Switching from creative storytelling to understanding legislation through to coding whilst keeping up to date with changing platforms and algorithm updates is full on.

And that’s before we think about those pesky trends and AI-driven tools that supposedly make our work more efficient, faster and of higher quality.?

So, as the laser starts to focus on sustainability claims and communication, getting a grip on the terminology, legislation and what guidance is available is key.

Jargon is Junk

All industries suffer from jargon, but the sustainability space seems to be drowning in acronyms, terminology and curious phrases. Conversations about donut economics, de-growth, what is sustainability, regeneration and circular economics. Is it climate positive, negative, neutral or net zero and that’s before we start with DAC and CAC and a whole host of industry-specific jargon?

Then there’s greenwashing, green crowding, green lighting, green shifting, green labelling, green rinsing and even green hushing! ??

But it’s OK, we can get certified and stick a badge on it!

With over 450 ecolabel badges available, selecting one is likely to be your biggest challenge. As consumers, most of us are aware of Fairtrade and FSC, but do we need so many ecolabels and how can we know if they are really doing any good and having a genuine impact?

It’s all a bit mad really and very easy to sleepwalk your way into trouble by making claims and jumping on the sustainability bandwagon without grasping the gravity of misleading the consumer.

Thankfully, there is help at hand.

Getting Guidance

As a business owner or marketeer, an easy place to start is to read the Green Claims Code checklist and make sure any claims you are making tick all these boxes.? Failure to get this right could ultimately result in some hefty fines. Up to 10% of global turnover for companies and up to ￡300K for individuals have been unveiled in the UK’s Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill which is set to come into force in 2024. You can read more about it here.

Guidance was also released back in June by the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) to provide communication guidance when making environmental claims.

The European Directive on Green Claims has slightly lower fines but also focuses on ensuring that claims are comparable and verified to promote informed decision-making.

Quick checklist for green claims. Are you happy your claims are: -

1. Truthful and accurate
2. Clear and unambiguous
3. Do not omit or hide information
4. Make fair and meaningful comparisons
5. Can be substantiated
6. Consider the full lifecycle of a product

Using statements such as ‘our process is clean’, ‘kinder to our planet’ or ‘uses 30% less energy’ are too vague and unhelpful. And it’s not just the oil giants and fast fashion that are getting in trouble. Even companies that seem to be getting their green claims right have found themselves in hot water.

The UK watchdog banned oatly ads over ‘misleading’ green claims and more recently, Toyota with their SUV planet destroying ad was banned for disregarding the environmental impact. Read more

Knowledge is Power

It's time to power up your knowledge bank and educate yourself and those around you.? Sounds easy but researching 'green' can take you down the proverbial rabbit hole. Polarised opinions, complex science, blatant bias and controversy, so a good starting point would be to undertake a Carbon Literacy course specific to your industry and start arming yourself with knowledge. Climate change and the associated science is a complex space but the more we educate ourselves, the easier and clearer our comms and language will become.

I completed my Carbon Literacy (Marketing Focused) with the support of ?Annie - The Sustainable Life Coach and Heather – Small Footprint Agency.

Invest in Experts

If you are not confident working through the guidance and regulatory requirements or simply have too many plates spinning, then bringing in expert help makes good sense.? This could be ad hoc to support specific projects; for example, providing copywriting expertise or hiring a creative agency to help formulate a campaign or ongoing strategy.

Just make sure that they can demonstrate expert knowledge in sustainable communications.

Useful Links

Ecologi calculator helps you work out your company's carbon footprint.

Updated guidance - Advertising Standards Agency updated guidance on using the terms Carbon Neutral and Net Zero (10 February 2023).

Ecolabel List An overview of all eco-labels that currently exist.