Government Introduces New Guidelines to Combat Greenwashing and Misleading Environmental Claims

The Indian government, through a set of extensive guidelines, now envisions how it is to regulate greenwashing and false environmental claims by companies. According to such guidelines issued by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, these could now pertain to the eco-friendliness of products or services that it’s claimed and supported with verifiable evidence and clear disclosure. Such a move aims to protect consumers from these sorts of false green claims as well as improve transparency in environmental marketing practices.

Body: In the near past, greenwashing—which refers to making false claims about environmental benefits in a product or service—has been taking on a life of its own. Companies involve themselves in advertising their products as “eco-friendly” or “sustainable,” even with the facts unexplained, misleading consumers. In response to the problem, the government has set its guidelines to regulate those practices. Such rules require a firm to prove its environmental claims with adequate evidence so that terms such as “100 percent eco-friendly,” “zero emissions,” or “cruelty-free” are not used without proper verification.

To this effect, the new framework clearly defines terms such as “greenwashing” and “environmental claims” so boundaries can be set clearly. Companies need to use consumer-friendly language to present technical terms to consumers so that they understand what kind of environmental benefits are being presented to them. Comparative environmental claims based on relevant data must be supported by clearly disclosing the specific aspect they are comparing to avoid the setting up of misleading interpretations.

Environmental sustainability claims that are aspirational, or future, will also be examined with greater scrutiny. These can be made only if supported by communicated actionable plans to consumers. That is most relevant where companies claim future reductions in emissions or propose the adoption of new eco-friendly practices.

The guidelines also provide for certification and third-party verification. Proof of claims to be “compostable,” “degradable,” “recyclable,” or “net-zero” must come from credible certifications, sound scientific evidence, or third-party assessments. These must be available to customers through different digital channels—for example, QR codes or URLs. This would allow consumers to easily check the validity of environmental claims.

Another significant feature of the guidelines is the requirement for full disclosure. Companies are required to inform consumers whether their environmental claims relate to the whole product, the manufacturing process of the product, its packaging, usage, or disposal. This will empower more informed decisions on the part of consumers based on specific environmental attributes of a product rather than on vague or insufficient information.

While the guidelines complement existing consumer protection laws, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs clarified that in case of conflicts with specific laws, the latter will prevail. The ministry will have the final say in settling any disputes or ambiguities that may arise in the interpretation of the guidelines.

Conclusion: Presenting these guidelines is an important measure that creates favorable conditions for the advertising of ecological friendliness in goods and services. With these guidelines controlling greenwashing so that environmental claims can be factually validated, the government is setting a decisive position on consumer protection. These measures are supposed to foster greater responsibility among consumers while making companies work to be truer to their claims about being more responsible and eco-friendly.

 

Source: PTI

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