Environmental Marketing Claims Receive Business Scrutiny

Consumers and governments have applied greater scrutiny to environmental marketing claims. Enforcement for environmental marketing claims has typically come from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), under its Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims at 40 C.F.R. Part 260, also called the "Green Guides." But last week the National Advertising Division (NAD) of BBB National Programs issued a decision on environmental marketing, reminding manufacturers of actors outside the federal government that can affect environmental claims for products.

The September 28, 2021, decision by NAD determined that Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products LP had a reasonable basis and substantiation for environmental benefit claims for its Quilted Northern Ultra Soft & Strong Bathroom Tissue. These included tree-planting, energy-efficient manufacturing, and sustainability claims. However, NAD recommended that certain claims should be modified "to more clearly disclose the