What Marketers Need to Know About Greenwashing in Advertising

A new body of research from the 4A’s outlines how agencies can (and should) approach environmental claims in their brand messaging

 

The American Association of Advertising Agencies, better known within the industry as the 4A’s, has released a comprehensive guide to eco-friendly messaging that may allow marketers to better serve consumers who are increasingly interested in sustainability and environmental consciousness.

Backed by expert commentary from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Trade Commission and leading U.S. brands, the new “Greenwashing in Advertising” paper tackles both best practices to win brownie points with the public and must-know rules governing what advertising can tout about a product or brand’s environmental benefits.

“The goal of putting out the paper is not just for legal departments that are already aware of a lot of this,” says Alison Pepper, executive VP of government relations at the 4A’s and architect of the guide. “It’s to help agencies and brands realize that there actually are a lot of rules out there about what environmental claims you can make.”

Prior to the 4A’s publishing of “Greenwashing in Advertising,” which includes a complementary video series, Pepper says that environmental rules for marketers in the U.S. were “piecemeal”: a mix of federal and state regulations, different statutes for different products, and ever-changing guidance from a host of government agencies.

Read more in Ad Age here.