Green Marketing - Challenges With Net Zero Claims March 6, 2023

As consumers are becoming more conscious about their environmental footprint when purchasing goods or services, there is an increasing commercial value for companies to advertise themselves as environmentally friendly by, for example, making environmental claims about their goods or services. An environmental claim is defined as a claim which suggests or otherwise creates the impression in a commercial communication, marketing or advertising that a good or service has a positive impact on the environment or is less damaging to the environment than competing goods or services.

The relationship between the Swedish Marketing Practises Act (MPA) and environmental claims is currently a point of discussion in Sweden. In 2022 and the beginning of 2023, several judgements and decisions have been delivered by the Swedish Patent and Market Courts and Reklamombudsmannen (a self-regulatory organisation for advertising in Sweden) regarding the legality of such claims.