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ARTICLE · 05 OCTOBER 2022

ACCC cracking down on businesses engaging in greenwashing

Piper Alderman
Piper Alderman
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Business need to be in a position to substantiate their environmental and sustainability claims.

AustraliaConsumer Protection
Andrew Rankin
Andrew Rankin
Amelia Coleman
Amelia Coleman
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It is critical that businesses are in a position to substantiate their environmental and sustainability claims in light of enforcement action by the ACCC set to escalate.

On 20 September 2022 in a speech at the Sydney Morning Herald Sustainability Summit, ACCC Deputy Chair, Delia Rickard, emphasised that the ACCC will not hesitate to take enforcement action where they see consumers are being misled or deceived by green claims and that the regulator will be actively targeting greenwashing.

In March of this year, the ACCC listed environmental claims and sustainability, including greenwashing, as one of their 2022-23 priorities. After hearing growing concerns that some businesses are falsely promoting their environmental or green credentials to capitalise on changing consumer preferences, the ACCC announced they will be undertaking an internet sweep of environmental claims being made by Australian corporations.

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