Global Guidance on Environmental Claims

WFA's Sustainable Marketing Community presents:

Global Guidance on Environmental Claims Playbook

This first-of-its-kind voluntary guidance covers how brands can make sure environmental claims featured in their marketing communications are credible for both consumers and regulators.

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Global Guidance on Environmental Claims Playbook

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The guidance has been developed in the context of WFA's Sustainable Marketing Community, a voluntary commitment by leading companies to use the power of marketing as a force for positive change both internally and with the consumers who buy their products and services.

It identifies six key principles that marketers need to follow to make sure they are seen as trustworthy and to avoid their brands being accused of greenwashing and aswers the following questions:

  • What are environmental claims?
  • What are misleading claims and why are they a problem?
  • What is the country-specific legislation and advertising standards?
  • What is copy advice and where to get it?
  • What are the global environmental principles based on international best practice?

WFA commissioned the International Council for Advertising Self-Regulation (ICAS) and the European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA), with the support of environmental experts from the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), to help pull the guidance on sustainability claims together.

There was a peer review process from a number of advertising standards bodies from around the world with expertise on green claims, including bodies from Australia, Brazil, France, India, Sweden, Spain and the US.

The guidance was also reviewed by the corporate members of WFA's Sustainable Marketing Community, EACA and Voxcomm, the global groups which bring together advertising agencies. It therefore represents a consensus across the global industry and industry regulators of what the core elements are to ensuring trustworthy and meaningful environmental claims.

Case studies

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  1. MSC CRUISES (Belgium, OOH)
    1 Apr 2022

    MSC CRUISES (Belgium, OOH)

    WFA

    A Belgian ad for MSC Cruises attracted a complaint from a consumer who took issue with the company’s claim to be 100% carbon-neutral. She argued that it was unacceptable greenwashing but did the regulator agree? 

    Read more about "MSC CRUISES (Belgium, OOH)"
  2. Beech-Nut Nutrition Co. “Beech-Nut Baby Food” (USA, television, Internet)
    1 Apr 2022

    Beech-Nut Nutrition Co. “Beech-Nut Baby Food” (USA, television, Internet)

    WFA

    Beech-Nut Nutrition promoted its products via TV and online ads in the US, claiming that “glass is nature’s safest container” and that “Glass is the ultimate in sustainability”, find out if they were right to do so here.

    Read more about "Beech-Nut Nutrition Co. “Beech-Nut Baby Food” (USA, television, Internet)"
  3. Safe Catch Tuna (USA, Amazon)
    1 Apr 2022

    Safe Catch Tuna (USA, Amazon)

    WFA
    Does this Amazon ad for ‘100% Sustainably Caught Tuna” from the US break the rules on green claims?
    Read more about "Safe Catch Tuna (USA, Amazon)"

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