Canada´s New Guidelines For Claiming Consumer Products Are Eco-Friendly

The environment is on the minds of consumers these days. And in response, a multitude of products and services claiming to be "green" or "eco-friendly" are stacking supermarket aisles. The Trade-marks Register confirms the proliferation of trademarks with an environmental angle: the term "green" appears in 2,688 active marks incorporating the term; "eco" appears in 1,145 active marks; and "enviro" appears in 532 active marks.

As a result of new guidelines on the use of "green" terminology, obtaining a trademark registration for a brand that includes an environmental claim does not mean that the registrant can necessarily make that claim, regardless of how environmentally friendly the product actually is. These guidelines,¹ developed by the Canadian Standards Association in partnership with the Competition Bureau, were seen as necessary to protect consumers from being misled by the wide use of environmental claims as a marketing tool. The guidelines are not law, but