What is the Green Claims Code?
Due to the increased awareness and demand for sustainable products, the use of the term ‘sustainable’ in the sale and marketing and of goods has grown exponentially. For this reason, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) under the government of the United Kingdom has developed the Green Claims Code – which sets out 6 key points to check your environmental claims are genuinely green.
What are green claims?
Green claims (sometimes called ‘environmental claims’ or ‘eco-friendly claims’) are claims that show how a product, service, brand or business provides a benefit or is less harmful to the environment.
Many businesses use green claims to help market their products or services. They do this through a range of methods such as: statements, symbols, emblems, logos, graphics, colours and product brand names.
According to the CMA, what are the 6 green claims?
Green claims MUST:
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Be truthful and accurate: Businesses must live up to the claims they make about their products, services, brands and activities
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Be clear and unambiguous: The meaning that a consumer is likely to take from a product’s messaging and the credentials of that product should match
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Not omit or hide important information: Claims must not prevent someone from making an informed choice because of the information they leave out
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Only make fair and meaningful comparisons: Any products compared should meet the same needs or be intended for the same purpose
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Consider the full life cycle of the product: When making claims, businesses must consider the total impact of a product or service. Claims can be misleading where they don’t reflect the overall impact or where they focus on one aspect of it but not another
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Be substantiated: Businesses should be able to back up their claims with robust, credible and up to date evidence
What should I know as a jewelry brand to comply with the Green Claims Code?
Read the full green claims checklist including all 13 questions and evaluate your sustainability claims. If you are unable to answer many of the questions, work to revise and review your sustainability claims until you can be certain that the messaging and claims you are making are legitimate and substantiated.
For more resources on the Green Claims Code visit:
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