A new advertising code could lift confidence in green goods

Paul McIntyre
July 31, 2008
From the smh.com.au

THE PITCH

Greenwashing and dodgy environmental claims might get a little harder to pull off next year as the country's main advertising body, the Australian Association of National Advertisers, goes on the offensive in August to develop a self-regulatory code that would bury such activity and keep regulators like the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission at bay.

It's unusual for the association to lead the way on such a controversial topic, but it knew something had to be done when "gap" analysis six months ago identified areas that could expose it to risk.

Greenwashing, or selling up the environmental claims of a product, emerged as the most pressing matter. Then the ACCC warned advertisers to be careful in making carbon offset claims and promotions to consumers on products and services.

Now the association, through the public affairs consultancy Res Publica, will press the flesh and take submissions from environmental ferals and conservative rednecks alike about how a green code might take shape.

So far it has consulted one of the more credible critics of corporate greenwashing, the Total Environment Centre, which has backed its plans and taken a central role in the review.

"We need a war on greenwash," the centre's director, Jeff Angel, said yesterday. "Environmental claims and brands should inspire and encourage consumers, not dupe them into thinking they are doing their part for the environment when they are not. It's essential that green products become mainstream, the normal products to buy, but for this to happen consumers must be confident about environmental claims."



Whole article here