Green claims under scrutiny by ASCI
Mint. She said that ‘greenwashing’ was a type of misleading claim for which the body had been receiving complaints. “This is the first time we are putting out these guidelines because these claims have been rampant across categories, including personal care, food products, beverages, automobiles, digital devices, and the real estate industry," she said.
Greenwashing, per the industry body, can erode consumer trust and hinder their ability to make informed decisions. Usually it will be when a product or service is touted to be greener than it actually is. That is, it may only have a green packaging but the product itself may not be good for the environment or if a company does not have any goals to become net zero by a certain year but advertises to be that way.
The guidelines include other issues like terms like "environment friendly" or "sustainable" must have robust data and credible accreditations to be substantiated. Once a claim is being made, it cannot come with a disclaimer or a QR code to dilute the claim's strength. More importantly, claims should explicitly state whether they apply to the entire product, packaging, service, or just a specific portion.
Claims like "greener" must be backed by evidence and also must specify the basis of comparison, be it a previous version or competitor products. It added that environmental claims should consider the entire product or service lifecycle, not just specific aspects of the product. Interestingly, the body has also laid emphasis on colour schemes and natural imagery related to brand identity.
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