May 27 - KQED Forum: DO Corporate 'Green' Claims Confuse Consumers?
Environmental advertising terms can be confusing, whether it’s biodegradable, compostable, eco-friendly, or simply just "green." The Federal Trade Commission currently has a set of guidelines in place to help companies avoid "green washing" (or making deceiving claims about a product’s environmental impact), but still violations take place. The guidelines were published in 1998, and now the FTC has announced that they will be updated.
How will these changes affect consumers? KQED's Forum recently discussed these proposed changes and the various labels consumers often misinterpret.
To read the proposed changes according to the FTC website, click here.
Our Environmental Advertising Campaign has sought to address the same issues the FTC changes hope to deal with. Our most recent effort to clear up advertising regulations on consumer products is our support for SB 567 (Truthful Advertising in Plastics). We at CAW believe that consumers have the right to make informed choices about the environmental impact of their purchases, without the barriers inherent in misleading advertising terms. To learn more about this bill, visit our legislative page. If you want to support this bill, consider writing a support letter to your Senator to let them know.
You can listen to the full NPR story below.