Beat the green marketing blues

27 July 2009
Green labelling is becoming an important marketing tool. A number of clothing brands are launching their own eco label ranges featuring sustainable materials, such as organically grown cotton, soybean fibre or bamboo.  But before you jump on the ‘green bandwagon’, you need to think about the wording of your green claims and the impression they may make on consumers.

It is important that your claims don’t amount to ‘greenwashing’, that is, creating a false or misleading representation about the environmental benefit of your products.  If they are, this could result in civil, or even criminal, action.


The green checklist

Here’s a checklist of the things you should keep in mind when using green claims in your marketing, labelling, packaging and advertising:

  • Be accurate and honest.  It is misleading to tell half truths.  If the environmentally friendly aspect of your product relates to just one part of the overall life cycle of the product, it is misleading to assert that the entire production is eco friendly.  For example, if you use only organically grown cotton to produce a range of t-shirts, it is rare for the entire production process to also be ‘organic’ (milling, dying, and shipping).  If the only organic part of the finished t-shirt is that it is made from organically grown cotton, it would be incorrect to state that it is 100% organic.  Instead, you should claim that the t-shirt is “made from 100% organically grown cotton”.

  • Don’t use overly broad words or terms.  It is common for businesses to use sweeping statements about their products such as a garment being “green”, “environmentally friendly” and so on.  All these statements are vague, and could be construed by consumers to mean something broader than the literal truth.

  • Choose visual images wisely.  Pictures can also be considered as green labelling.  Images of the earth or endangered animals, such as pandas for example, could be interpreted by consumers that your product has a certain environmental benefit.  You should carefully consider whether the use of a particular image could mislead your customers.

  • Avoid using technical language or jargon.  Instead use plain, everyday language that customers can easily understand.  This minimises the risk that consumers will make an incorrect assumption.

  • Only use green labelling when you can prove that your claims are true. 

  • Be careful when using the term, ‘carbon neutral’. If you are claiming that your products are ‘carbon neutral’, these claims need to be both based on fact and on your current activities (as opposed to plans you have in place for the future).  The Commerce Commission has indicated that it plans to focus on the issue of carbon neutrality labelling and will issue its guidelines on this soon.

What to do next

If you are concerned that your advertising or labelling could be misleading or deceptive, make sure you visit the Commerce Commission website (www.comcom.govt.nz), as many of your questions should be answered there.

While promoting your ‘green’ qualities is important for marketing your label, its best to err on the side of caution.

If you’re unsure about how to word your green claims, get advice from an intellectual property specialist to avoid any disappointments further down the track.

An edited version of this article was published in Apparel, July 2009.

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